


give me shelter

by spacs



Series: only love [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Background Gladio/Prompto, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, M/M, Nightmares, Slow Burn, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-18 14:59:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9390083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacs/pseuds/spacs
Summary: "Watch me fall apart, watch me fall apartand I'll be yours to keep."Mesmerized, Noctis watched him. He normally fell asleep first and woke up after Ignis, so he’d never actually had an opportunity to see Ignis sleeping. This wasn’t how he’d pictured it.





	1. or show me heart

**Author's Note:**

> *rating subject to change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr prompt from @thekindmagic:  
> Send me a "Surprise" and I'll write a drabble about one character discovering something surprising about the other.

Ignis always positioned himself close to Noctis at night. If they went to a hotel, he managed to almost always share a bed with Noct.

Noctis noticed, but didn’t complain or try to change it. Ignis was the one he gravitated to after the nightmares he often had, so sharing a space with Gladio or Prompto made dealing with his nightmares difficult.

On the rare nights that he and Ignis were separated, Noct pulled himself away from his friends. He would stand on the balcony outside the hotel or next to the fire at camp. Somehow Ignis always knew and would appear by his side in a matter of minutes. Usually they wouldn’t talk, Noct would just move closer so their arms were touching and he could be reminded that this was real and his nightmare was far behind him. Leaving was always harder but eventually Noctis would yawn and Ignis would place a hand on his shoulder and lead him back inside. They would smile briefly at each other, then move to their respective places to sleep once more.

Ignis was his rock – a constant in his life since he was three – and was always there to hold him together should he fall apart. They didn’t speak of it, to each other or anyone else. It was an unspoken bond that was unequivocally _theirs_. They wouldn’t share this part of themselves with anyone else, and Noct was certain that Gladio and Prompto could see that.

He wasn’t aware that Ignis had nightmares too until the night before they were to depart for Altissia.

Noctis couldn’t sleep. He sat up in bed, Ignis sleeping on his back next to him. He played King’s Knight on his phone, preparing for a raid on Prompto’s castle, when he felt Ignis stir. Ignis was a sound sleeper, rarely moving much during the night, and it was surprising to feel him slide further into the bed. Noct looked down, the soft light from his phone showing him Ignis’ face. His brow was drawn in, a deep frown on his lips. His head shook abruptly, as if he was trying to ward off something from his dream.

Mesmerized, Noctis watched him. He normally fell asleep first and woke up after Ignis, so he’d never actually had an opportunity to see Ignis sleeping. This wasn’t how he’d pictured it. The look of absolute fear on Ignis’ face made concern leap to the back of his throat, but he didn’t reach out. The last thing he wanted was to startle Ignis and frighten him further. Ignis’ lips parted and his hands clenched into fists, desperately clawing at the sheets. His legs shifted under the blankets, his entire body involved in whatever he was seeing. He drew in a shuttered breath before quickly exhaling it, his face contorting as if in pain.

Finally, Noct reached out, putting his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. He dropped his phone on the table next to the bed. When the touch didn’t rouse Ignis, he shook him gently and murmured his name.

Ignis’ eyes flew open and he shot up from the bed in a panic. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath and he looked around wildly. When his gaze landed on Noct, he pulled away as if he’d been burned, still hypnotized by his dream – no, his nightmare.

“Ignis,” Noctis said softly, reaching out again and putting his hand on Ignis’ forearm where it was held up in defense.

Ignis blinked rapidly, finally focusing fully on Noctis’ face. “Noct?” he breathed, dropping his arm. He reached up with the hand not in Noct’s grasp and wiped a hand down his face. “Apologies,” he whispered, not looking back up.

Noctis frowned and pulled Ignis’ arm to him to get his attention. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“A dream, nothing more,” Ignis replied, trying to wave him off. “Perhaps a bit too much Ebony before bed.”

They both knew Noctis wasn’t that stupid. This was more than one too many caffeinated drinks. “Come here,” Noctis gestured, not dropping his hand from Ignis.

That made Ignis look back up at him. Their eyes settled on each other and Ignis pursed his lips. “I’m fine,” he insisted.

Gladio snorted in his sleep and Ignis flinched, squeezing his eyes shut. Noctis glanced over his shoulder but their other two friends were still sleeping soundly. He scooted towards the middle of the bed, sliding his hand up Ignis’ arm to his shoulder. He didn’t say anything, just waited until Ignis opened his eyes.

When his lids finally lifted, Ignis connected their gaze immediately, letting the silence wash over them. He reached up, resting his fingertips on Noct’s cheek as his eyes scanned his face like he was memorizing what he was seeing. “It was a just a dream,” he repeated.

“I have dreams too,” Noct responded.

“That’s not the same,” Ignis objected, withdrawing his hand to run it through his hair. Noctis could feel his resolve fading. He remembered how he’d reacted after his first nightmare. Ignis offered to be there with him and he tried to refuse but the panic hadn’t yet settled. With enough gentle pressing from Ignis, he’d opened up and let Ignis hold him the way he did when they were children.

“How?”

“It’s my job to be there for you,” he answered.

Noctis frowned and fixed Ignis with a halfhearted glare. “Well I’d hoped it was a little more than a job to you.”

Exasperated, Ignis huffed. “That isn’t what I meant,” he tried, dropping his arm into his lap. He pinched the bridge of his nose while Noctis glared at him. Eventually he got impatient and reached out to pull Ignis’ hand from his face. Ignis looked over at him and Noctis couldn’t remember a time when he’d seen his advisor so worn down.

He squeezed Ignis’ hand. “Why didn’t you tell me you had nightmares?” Noctis whispered, careful to keep his voice low.

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

Noctis smiled sadly. That was just like Ignis - keeping his own pain to himself to ease the burden on others. “Let me,” he urged, pulling Ignis toward him again.

For a moment Ignis resisted, then finally relented, letting himself be drawn in. Noctis wrapped his arms around Ignis and they lowered back into the bed. He put his head on top of Ignis’, turning into the other man. Ignis sighed and nested his head underneath Noct’s chin. His long legs settled between Noctis’, one arm brought up over him to entwine their fingers and the other wrapped around the prince’s waist.

Noctis kept an arm around Ignis, rubbing his back the way Ignis would for him, though Noctis didn’t have a scar to avoid. His hand was secure in Ignis’ and he would occasionally circle his thumb over the other’s skin. He could feel Ignis’ breath against his neck, long and uneasy as he tried to calm himself down, and Noctis could feel his heart racing through his fingers.

Without thinking, Noct pulled back slightly and planted a short kiss to Ignis’ forehead. Ignis tensed underneath him, his eyes opening and his breath stalled. Neither one of them spoke as Ignis drew his away from Noctis to look up at him. They stared at each other and Noct could barely make out Ignis’ expression in the darkness of the room. He kept his gaze level with Ignis, standing by his actions and refusing to withdraw his affection.

He wasn’t sure who leaned in first or if maybe they leaned together at the same time, but suddenly his lips were on Ignis’. Their mouths were closed but their lips moved together, keeping their position. The initial kiss was short but it lingered, lips staying close as they breathed each other’s air, dropping more kisses against the other's lips every few seconds as they lay together.

Noct opened his eyes slightly, waiting for Ignis to do the same but it never came. Ignis brow was drawn in and he was frowning as he leaned against Noctis. He wanted to say something – anything – that would get Ignis to just _look_ at him, but anything he thought to say didn’t seem right. The struggle he saw on Ignis’ face made him want to find the right words of reassurance, but he had never had the same eloquence as his advisor.

Finally, Ignis pulled away, tucking his head underneath Noctis’ chin once more. He never opened his eyes and Noct could feel the lines of worry against his skin. He tightened his grip around Ignis, hoping that maybe that would convey whatever he couldn’t put into words.

After a short while, Ignis’ breath evened out once more. Noctis still didn’t sleep, keeping his head buried in the other man’s hair. He tried to prepare to speak to Ignis in the morning, though he was unsure if Ignis would actually bring this up given his reluctance to even meet Noct’s eyes. They were leaving for Altissia in a matter of hours, they might not have time for just the two of them before getting on the boat. It was a long way across the water with no privacy once they set sail.

Noctis’ breathing began to synch with Ignis’ and he could feel his eyes drooping. He relaxed heavily against Ignis, feeling grounded by the body pressed against his. They should start off the nights this way, maybe it would keep both of their dreams from turning dark if they were held.

There were no dreams for Noctis that night, just the sensation of Ignis’ steady breath against his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this doesn’t really adhere to the prompt totally, but the surprise is that Ignis has nightmares too. This really ran away from me (again). Most things that I write for Ignoct seems to run away from me. Writing in Noct’s POV is actually way more difficult than I thought it would be. I had some trouble writing out his thoughts because, while I think Noct is definitely a very thoughtful person, I think a lot of it is stuff that he might not actually be able to put into words - even in his own head. Whereas Ignis is way more well spoken and knows what he wants to say even if he doesn’t say it. Like I know what Noctis is thinking because I’m writing it, but finding the line between conveying what he’s thinking without him actually putting it into neat words is way more difficult than I thought it would be.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Chapter 2 is coming.


	2. always around me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today wasn’t _normal_. Today had been awkward and weird and full of a tension that Noct didn’t know how to place.

It shouldn’t have surprised him that Ignis wasn’t next to him when he woke up.

Noctis picked his head up blearily and looked around the room. Prompto was on the second bed looking through the pictures on his camera and Gladio was packing a bag. Noctis could hear faint rustling sounds coming from the kitchen. Everything was normal.

He didn’t know why he’d been expecting something else.

“Morning sleeping beauty,” Prompto grinned when he looked up and saw Noct awake. He just groaned in reply, flopping back onto the bed – just like normal. Maybe last night had been a dream. The atmosphere in the room wouldn’t be this casual if it had happened. “We’re gonna head out soon.”

Noctis waved at him from his position, running a hand over his face. “Still asleep,” he mumbled.

“No you don’t.” Hands grabbed his shoulders, pulling him back into a seated position. Gladio patted his arm roughly to get him to wake up. “Don’t want to miss the boat, highness.”

He did his best to glare at his shield through narrowed eyes, still heavy with sleep. He slid off the bed as Gladio went back to zip up the bag he’d finished packing, stumbling towards the kitchen. Noctis leaned against the doorframe, watching Ignis crack an egg into a pan. “Hey,” he said.

“Morning,” Ignis replied. His voice was _too_ normal, like he was trying to sound like his normal self. But just that word was lined with discomfort and the pitch heavy with overcompensation.

Noct frowned. “Last night—”

“How would you like your eggs this morning, highness?” Ignis asked stiffly, not meeting his eyes.

He blinked. His eggs? “Eggs—what?”

The advisor adjusted his glasses, pushing the previously cracked egg around evenly over the stove. “Your eggs. How would you like them cooked?”

“I don’t care. However you want,” he tried. “Listen, Ignis—”

“Over easy it is,” Ignis interrupted. He waved toward the door. “Why don’t you help Gladio with the bags while I finish breakfast?” He turned his back on Noctis, moving to gather the correct spices and two more eggs – a clear dismissal.

Dazed, Noctis turned back to the room. Prompto was still wrapped up in his camera and Gladio had stacked the rest of their things by the door. He wandered to the bathroom, closing the door gently behind him. He looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was a mess and the skin beneath his eyes was dark. His exhaustion was clearly visible and given Ignis’ reaction to his mere presence, he no longer wondered why.

Everything was normal because Ignis was desperately clinging to it. He didn’t want to acknowledge what had happened the previous night and Noctis was trying to pretend like that didn’t hurt. Whatever had come over them was obviously a mistake. But it had felt… _good_. That seemed to understate it, but Noct didn’t have a way with words the way Ignis did. He’d kept his eyes open to see Ignis after the kiss, but Ignis pulled away. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to discuss what transpired rather than wallow in this permeable awkwardness? Prompto and Gladio were bound to notice that they were acting strangely.

Noct blew a frustrated breath out through puffed cheeks. “Dammit,” he muttered, pushing a hand through his hair. With the winds from the boat later fixing it wouldn’t do a lot of good, but maybe it would help him find a footing in this new normal. Thankfully Gladio hadn’t packed the bathroom yet, and Noctis used some of Prompto’s hair product – the extra strength bottle.

He messed with his unruly bangs for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and exiting the bathroom. The bags were gone and so were Prompto and Gladio. Noctis ducked past the kitchen, glancing in briefly to see Ignis looking pointedly away from the door. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from pushing the subject. If Ignis hated kissing him so much then he’d accept it. By the time they got on the boat, things would be back to the real normal. They just had to jump the morning-after hurdle.

The trip to Altissia was tense. Ignis sat next to him on the boat, which Noct figured was an attempt to move back to a semblance of normality. He was hyper aware of Ignis’ body next to his, the way their legs would brush when the boat rocked with the waves. Occasionally Ignis would stand, pacing around the boat and Noctis found himself watching the way Ignis’ eyes would study the water and the horizon. The sun cast a pleasant light over his features, and in the heat Ignis rolled his sleeves up past his elbows, loosening the buttons at the top of his shirt. He tracked the movements of Ignis’ lips as he spoke, averting his gaze when Ignis turned to him.

Still, he caught himself staring at Ignis when the other man wasn’t looking, and felt his heart skip a beat when their eyes met for the first time since the previous night. The look between them lingered, Ignis’ lips pursed as he adjusted his glasses. Was he nervous? Noctis didn’t think he had ever seen Ignis _nervous_. He couldn’t decipher what Ignis thought about what happened, but he’d never had the same talent for reading people that Ignis had. The way Ignis was looking at him had a different tone than the way he had blatantly ducked the topic this morning. Longing? Disappointment?

The redness on Noct’s face was just from the sun – or that’s what he would say if someone mentioned it – and he tried to stop looking at Ignis.

For the first time in twelve years, he was going to be in the same city as Luna. That thought made his palms sweat and he ran a hand through his hair, though the wind blew it out of place once more. He’d thought about how it would feel to see Luna again for a long time. Their contact through the years had made the separation easier and maintained their friendship. He knew he was supposed to be in love with her – that was the reason for the teasing from his friends and the kissy faces Prompto would make at the mention of her name or title. Now he wasn’t so sure it was the romantic kind of love that was expected from him.

“I can’t believe you’re not sleeping,” Prompto teased as he motioned for Noct to stand for a picture.

Noctis made a face at him that Prompto made sure to photograph before he could wipe the expression from his face. “I slept fine last night,” he retorted. It was only half a lie and he made sure not to look at Ignis.

“Never stopped you before,” Prompto grinned, lifting his camera. Noct crossed his arms, smiling awkwardly so the blond could take the photograph. “Could it have maybe, possibly, totally something to do with seeing Lady Lunafreya again?”

“Shut up,” he replied, moving out of position.

“I’m just saying,” Prompto continued, holding his hands up innocently. “Even Iggy is managing some shut-eye.”

Noct’s brow lifted and he finally looked over at Ignis. His hands were crossed over his chest, his head lolled slightly to the side as it leaned against his shoulder. His eyes were closed and he had a soft frown on his lips. But when Prompto lifted his camera to get a shot of him Ignis lowly said, “Don’t.”

It looked like Prompto almost wanted to jump off the boat with how startled he was, and Noct and Gladio shook with laughter. Ignis’ eyes slowly opened and his arms uncrossed, turning to the other three, a tentative smile replacing the frown. “I thought you were asleep,” Prompto exclaimed, a hand clutching his camera protectively.

“Just resting my eyes,” Ignis told him, stretching his arms in front of him.

Gladio slapped a hand on Prompto’s shoulder, shaking him gently. The blond glared up at him but Gladio just kept grinning. “You okay, Iggy?” he asked, still chuckling. Noct looked away from Ignis and scratched the back of his head self-consciously.

Ignis nodded, answering, “Just fine. The sun is bright and out here there is no shade.” He kept his voice even and he sounded normal again. The lie came naturally from him and, even though he knew the truth, Noct almost believed him.

A quiet finally fell over the friends and Noct was left trying to fend off his thoughts about how he truly felt about Luna versus what he thought he was supposed to feel. Instead he tried to focus on the waves that the boat made as it moved through the water, watching birds diving under the surface for fish or just flying peacefully next to them. The click of Prompto’s camera sounded every so often as he took nature shots and occasionally Gladio. The shield was the only one who was letting Prompto pull him up for pictures anymore.

It was nearing sundown when they finally docked in Altissia. The city was beautiful, the night life already starting to buzz. Light hung in the streets as soft music drifted between the buildings. Gondolas were pushed gently through the water, creating relaxing rippling sounds to pair with the music. The city was more magical than described and Noct felt more awake than he’d ever been at this time of day.

Once they’d officially entered the city, thanks to Ignis’ quick thinking, Noctis eagerly pushed forward. Prompto kept pace with him easily while Gladio and Ignis trailed behind. He went to the first gondola available, asking to be taken on a cruise surrounding the city. Prompto excitedly climbed in, ready for the photo op. Gladio and Ignis followed, mentioning that they needed to consider lodgings for their stay.

“Cid mentioned Maagho’s,” Prompto replied, lifting his camera to snap a photo of the street behind them.

“A restaurant, not a hotel,” Ignis answered. “We have the gil for two rooms for a few nights.”

Noctis lifted his eyebrows at the mention of two rooms but didn’t say anything. “I can take you to Maagho’s,” the gondolier interjected. “Great place.”

“Not tonight,” Noctis responded quickly. At the questioning look from his friends he continued, “Ignis is right. We need to figure out where we’re going to stay.” He glanced at Ignis, still feeling awkward, and a nod was returned. It was hard to tell if Ignis was blatantly ignoring the tension or if he was blissfully unaware. Ignis was rarely unaware of anything, so Noctis figured it was the first.

The hotel they were directed to was very nice. Prompto made a case for the luxury suite that Ignis didn’t even bat an eye at but Prompto was placated by the purchase of two rooms. Ignis took a key and handed the other to Gladio.

“Finally a bed all to myself,” Prompto cheered, stretching widely to demonstrate.

“With the way you move around, I’m betting you’ll find a way to kick me anyway,” Gladio quipped, throwing an arm around the blond and digging his knuckles into his hair leading the other up the stairs first.

Noctis didn’t miss the way Ignis hesitated or the way he opened his mouth to say something before closing it without a word. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from scowling as he trailed after first two. He watched the casual closeness between Prompto and Gladio as they joked with each other, Prompto finally getting out from underneath the arm around his shoulders. He shoved Gladio lightly, sneaking the key away from his hand and starting a race up the steps to their room. A brief sigh escaped Ignis behind Noct at the behavior but he didn’t scold.

“Which room are we?” he asked when they reached the next floor. Prompto and Gladio sped around the corner with little regard to their companions.

Ignis handed him the key and Noct swore he deliberately kept their hands from brushing together. “Should be next to those two,” he answered. He waited for Noctis to continue down the hallway. “They’ll be sending up the bags momentarily.”

Noctis nodded, leading the way past the other rooms. He glanced down at the key but it was hardly necessary when they rounded the corner and saw Gladio and Prompto wrestling for ownership of the key outside their door. It brought a grin to his face and he shook his head, matching his key with the room left of theirs.

“Noct make him let go,” Prompto whined, bent in half. Gladio had a hand wedged into Prompto’s stomach where the blond must be cradling the key protectively.

“I’m not getting involved,” Noct chuckled, unlocking his door. He went inside and glanced back to see Ignis hesitating again. He was watching their friends like he wanted to say something or intervene. “Ignis?”

The sound of his name brought him back and he looked back at Noctis. “Right,” he said, but it sounded more like a resignation. He followed into the room, the door swinging closed behind them.

The room was nice. It was a deep red, the bedding a cream color with waving lines decorating the fabric. There was a gold pattern tracing the walls and Noct let his eyes follow the pattern in circles, admiring the way the pattern overlapped and crisscrossed. There was a small kitchen, if that’s what it could be called without an oven – it was more of a would-be kitchen with just a two seat bar, microwave, sink, and mini fridge. A coffee pot was on the bar, something Ignis would be grateful for, and the countertops were off-white marble. There was a balcony overlooking the harbor, the light music from the city below muffled by the closed doors. Two beds were in the center of the room and the door to the bathroom was on the opposite wall that they shared with Prompto and Gladio.

Noct moved into the room, falling onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. He heard a triumphant whoop from Prompto in the hallway and a scuffle as the room was opened as the two barreled inside. He snorted, sliding further onto the bed. It was comfortable and the sheets were soft and clean. The pillows beneath his head were full of feathers and the bedding was smooth and encased him in warmth.

“Gonna sleep good tonight,” he said, bringing his feet up onto the bed.

“You should remove your shoes,” Ignis chided, walking into the would-be kitchen to search the two overhead cabinets. He sighed in relief when he pulled out a container of coffee.

Noct rolled his eyes and kicked off his shoes then sat up on his elbows, watching Ignis dump more than enough grounds into the coffee maker. “Little late for coffee isn’t it?” he asked, which didn’t sound anything like him.

Ignis noticed and his eyebrows shot up. He glanced briefly toward the bed but didn’t meet Noct’s eyes. “Yes well,” he started without finishing his statement. He poured water into the pot and switched the machine on.

The quiet whir of the beginnings of the coffee filled the silence between them. It was an awkwardness that Noctis hadn’t prepared to deal with so early in the night so he threw himself off the bed, moving to the door to the balcony. He went outside, leaning against the railing. The smell of the seawater calmed him and he considered going down to the docks to fish for a while before turning in – the fish here had to be different than those back home. Ignis would probably want to go with him or at least send Gladio or Prompto which would give him the opportunity to switch rooms. He frowned, huffing at himself and pushing his fingers through his hair.

They should talk about what happened, shouldn’t they? Ignis seemed keen on avoiding it and if Noct left to fish he was bound to return to find that his roommate had changed. Come tomorrow night, Ignis would think of a good excuse to not room with Noctis which made tonight his only chance to approach the subject. These sort of talks weren’t his strong suit, they were Ignis’. Which is why he was so concerned about their lack of discussion. Ignis was choosing this awkward shift between them over talking it out and that wasn’t something he did.

Glancing back inside, Noctis saw Ignis pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn’t moved from the coffee machine. He looked tired. Guilt sat heavy in Noct’s stomach as he measured the uncharacteristic slouch in Ignis’ posture and the way he still hadn’t rolled down his sleeves even though the air had cooled when the sun went down. He didn’t look kempt the way Ignis always looked kempt – his hair was flatter than usual, done in a way that must have taken less time to manage than his usual style.

The advisor snapped up when there was a knock on the door. Noctis turned back around to avoid getting caught staring, listening to Ignis greet the porter.

“Hey Noct!”

Noctis almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of Prompto’s voice, eliciting a laugh from his friend. “Did I scare you, buddy?” he grinned triumphantly.

“ _Prompto_ ,” Noct hissed, narrowing his eyes.

The blond shrugged. “Payback.”

“ _I_ wasn’t the one that scared you on the boat,” Noct grouched.

Prompto was practically hanging off the balcony next to Noct’s. “I won, by the way,” he offered without being asked. “But Gladio still took the shower first.”

“Go take it back,” Noct answered, moving to the side of the balcony closer to the blond.

That made Prompto laugh again. “Yeah that would be something to tell, right? Busting in on a naked Gladio.” Maybe it was the warm light from the night-life in Altissia but it looked like Prompto’s cheeks went pink. “Anyway, what’re you and Ignis up to?”

Noctis shrugged, his eyes darting back towards Ignis. He had brought the bags inside, setting his on the bed by the kitchen and Noct’s next to the one by the balcony, but he had gone back to standing next to the coffee pot, though this time had a mug in his hands and his back to Noctis. “He’s making coffee.”

“A little late for coffee,” Prompto echoed Noctis’ words from earlier.

“That’s what I said.”

A wicked grin graced Prompto’s lips. “Maybe he’s going out after you pass out. New town, new _people_.”

He couldn’t stop his scowl this time. He shook his head, diverting his gaze back out over the water. “I doubt it. He probably just wants to work or something.”

“Work on what?”

“I don’t know. It’s Ignis. He always finds stuff to work on.”

Prompto shrugged then changed the subject. “Want to go fishing?”

“Maybe later.” He scratched his cheek and faked a yawn – the first yawn he had ever had to fake.

“Aw,” Prompto whined, laying down on the bannister. “Alright,” he dragged out the word, making pleading eyes at Noctis.

“We can go to the docks tomorrow after Maagho’s,” he offered causing Prompto to jump up and cheer. “I’m going to go take a shower before Ignis. See you in the morning?”

“Night!” he nodded, beaming.

As Noct went back in, he saw Prompto taking out his camera to stretch out over the railing again to take a shot of something in the distance. “Don’t fall off,” he called, only getting a wave of acknowledgement in return.

He closed the door deliberately behind him, making sure it would click in a way so that Ignis would know he was back inside for the night. It was harder to think with Prompto outside with him. He enjoyed the blond’s company, but tonight was not a night for it. He had to think before he talked to Ignis. He had to have a _plan_. If this weren’t something that he was sure Ignis was going to loathe, he figured his advisor would be proud that he was trying to plan this out. Trouble was, planning was Ignis’ job.

“I’m going to shower,” he muttered, staring at Ignis’ back. He’d stiffened the moment Noct came back inside.

Ignis turned to pour himself another cup of coffee. He nodded and replied, “Take care not to fall asleep this time.” But the joke felt forced and Noct grimaced when neither one of them smiled at each other in the good-natured way they usually did.

The words _that only happened once_ died on his tongue and he resigned himself to the bathroom. The towels were perfectly white and fluffy – just the way he liked. The water pressure was adequate, but better than the motels they’d stayed in previously and much better than the hotel in Lestallum. Nothing could compare to Noct’s pristine shower in the Crown City, however, but he always found himself comparing.

He stripped himself of his clothes, tossing them on the floor. Stopping, he looked down at the discard garments and considered before stooping to pick them back up. He didn’t fold them, but he did place them neatly in a pile on the countertop instead. Ignis normally snuck in briefly to take his dirty clothes for a wash and replaced them with clean ones for when he got out of the shower. _Normally_. Nothing about today’s interactions with Ignis had been normal and he frowned at the thought. Maybe he should have gotten his own change of clothes before taking a shower this time.

Blowing out a breath, Noctis started the water to warm then grabbed a towel to hook around his waist.

When he opened the bathroom door he instantly regretted it.

Ignis was by his bed, rifling through his bag for a new set of clothes. When the door had opened, he’d looked up and was met with the sight of a nearly naked prince. Noctis felt like he had been lit on fire. It wasn’t like Ignis hadn’t seen him without a shirt on before – Ignis was one of the few that was allowed to see his back uncovered. But today wasn’t _normal_. Today had been awkward and weird and full of a tension that Noct didn’t know how to place. This was just the icing on the cake.

“Sorry,” he blurted. “I… forgot clean clothes.”

“Yes,” Ignis said hurriedly, his hands instinctively going to adjust his glasses and averting his gaze to focus back on the bag of clothing. “You often,” _always_ , “do.”

“Yeah I just thought since…” he trailed off, still standing dumbly in the doorframe.

No it wasn’t time for this conversation. He would not have this conversation in a _towel_. And the way Ignis tensed as he spoke showed that Ignis was no more ready for this than he was, so he just shut his mouth and didn’t move.

“Here you are, highness,” Ignis pulled an outfit from the bag, folded neatly. He kept his eyes practically anywhere _but_ Noct as he cautiously stepped over to him to hand him the clothing. “And your dirty clothes, if you please,” he requested, keeping them an arm’s length apart.

Noct turned back to the bathroom and grabbed his clothes from the day and handed them over, taking the clean ones from Ignis. He wasn’t as careful keeping their skin from touching and when their fingers brushed together he almost dropped the clothes.

“Sorry,” Noct burst again, jumping back into the bathroom and practically slammed the door behind him.

The water had been warm for some time. He could tell by the thin layer of the steam lining the mirror and the way the closed door instantly made the room warmer. He ran a hand over his face, staring at the door. “Shit,” he muttered, then relented and stepped into the shower.

That, by far, had been the weirdest thing to happen today. And now there was absolutely no way of getting out of the impending conversation. Ignis couldn’t pretend that hadn’t happened. Noctis refused to believe that Ignis didn’t want to fix this as much as he did. As much as he wanted to figure out what the kiss had meant, he would rather have Ignis back. Normal, regular, nagging Ignis. _His_ Ignis.

_His_ Ignis? Since when had Ignis ever been his? Since when had he ever thought about Ignis being his?

He brought a hand up to his lips, trailing over the bottom one thoughtfully. Finally the reality crashed down on him. He’d kissed Ignis. Ignis kissed him back. He and Ignis had _kissed_. And the weirdest part about all of this is that all he could think about was how it would feel to kiss Ignis again. He _wanted_ to kiss Ignis again.

But the way Ignis was reacting gave him tremendous pause.

Noctis was the leader, he was in charge. Ignis was his _advisor_. He must have crossed a line and Ignis wasn’t sure how to redefine that line. He was loyal, almost to a fault, and unyielding in his duty. Had he taken advantage of his position and pushed Ignis into something he didn’t want? Had he ruined their friendship beyond repair? The entire incident had started out so innocently – just a desire to be there for his friend, a friend who wouldn’t ask for his help unless prompted.

He leaned against the tiled wall of the shower, letting the hot water trail over his body. He watched the droplets run down his skin, falling from his hair and running down his chest. Part of him wished he could disappear down the drain too, that way he wouldn’t have to deal with the rift between him and Ignis. He could disappear to a place where feelings didn’t matter and he just _was_ , he just _existed_ without sorrow or love or loss.

The thought was tempting and impossible. Noctis knew his duty and knew he would be facing Leviathan soon. With any luck, by the end of the week the war would be over. He and Luna would be together. Prompto would take pictures at their wedding, Gladio would stand awkwardly with his chest just about bursting through a shirt that would be too tight, and Ignis would be by his side as he always had been. They would smile at each other right before Luna walked the aisle to him. He would take his place on his father’s throne and try to piece the kingdom back together.

Noctis squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to think about that. Thinking about the wedding and Luna wouldn’t go anywhere that he wanted it to – not with Ignis in the next room stewing in an uncomfortable silence before Noct would have to reemerge from the bathroom, and certainly not with his doubts about what his actual feelings towards Luna were.

The drain looked more appeasing each minute.

Slowly, Noct cleaned his hair. The sea air made him feel sticky and oily and he grimaced as he scrubbed soap into his skin before turning the heat of the water up a notch. It burned a bit and reddened his skin, but it felt cleaner. He forced his muscles to relax under the warm water, pushing his palms against the wall as he stretched out the tension. He took deep breaths, trying to empty his mind for just one moment of peace.

Finally he turned the water off. He stood in the heat of the room, breathing in the warm air as he watched the steam curl in the air, floating slowly up. Noct dried himself off, sloppily running the towel over his hair then throwing it over a hook on the back of the door. He threw the change of clothes on then let his hand rest on the doorknob in hesitation. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he opened the door.

Half of him expected Ignis to have managed to switch rooms, but his advisor was standing over his own bag. He almost fled back into the bathroom, wavering in the doorway before stepping back into the room. Without a word, Noctis sat on his bed, keeping his eyes on Ignis.

“Hey,” he started, the word coming out more breathy than he wanted.

“If you’re finished, I believe I’ll wash up now,” Ignis interrupted, his eyes never leaving his bag that he rummaged through aimlessly.

Noctis rolled his eyes. Another diversion. Eventually Ignis would run out of ways to dodge the conversation. “Yeah I’m done,” he confirmed. “Ignis—”

“Out in a moment then.” The advisor practically ran to the door, shutting it quickly behind him and Noctis felt like the click of the lock would echo through the hotel room forever.

He flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Maybe he really had crossed a line. But he hadn’t felt like he was the only participant in the kiss – he wasn’t even sure who leaned in first. It had felt mutual.

Ignis took longer in the shower than usual and Noctis knew that wasn’t a mistake. Under any other circumstances, he would’ve been concerned and possibly would’ve check on his friend. But he knew the reason for the long wait. Delaying the inevitable seemed unlike Ignis, though he hadn’t been acting like himself for most of the day. It was as if last night had opened up a side of Ignis that Noct had never been privy to before.

When the door to the bathroom finally reopened, Ignis had his towel still wrapped around his shoulders as he pat the back of his hair. He looked younger with his hair down flat, the way he wore it when he started university. The advisor was carefully not making eye contact with Noctis as he moved back to his bag, adjusted something inside, and then set it on the floor neatly next to his bed. Noct watched him walk back to the coffee pot for yet another mug.

“Do you not want to sleep tonight?” he asked before he could stop himself.

The tension in Ignis’ shoulder returned and he dropped his hand from around the towel. “I’m surprised you’re still awake, highness,” he replied instead of answering.

“Yeah well,” Noct sat up on the bed and deadpanned at the back of Ignis’ head. “I’m surprised you’re not shaking like a lunatic without how much coffee you’ve had in the past thirty minutes, but it happens.”

Ignis turned around and frowned at him from over his coffee. “I’ve been drinking coffee for many years now, a few cups won’t—”

“Ignis that’s like your sixth cup.”

“Fifth.”

“ _Still_.”

Ignis huffed and put the mug down with more force than Noctis expected. The clack of the cup against the marble was practically a scream inside the silence as Noct glared and Ignis looked pointedly out the glass door behind the prince’s head.

“Are you just never going to talk to me again?” Noct finally asked, hoping this wasn’t a question Ignis would find some way to avoid.

“We’re speaking right now, highness.”

He should’ve seen that one coming. “You know what I mean, Specs,” he retorted, specifically using the familiar nickname to contrast the way Ignis continued to address him so formally.

It didn’t go unnoticed and he saw Ignis suppress a wince. “It’s just coffee,” he tried.

Frustrated, Noct stood. Ignis took a cautionary step back from the counter as Noctis moved to stand on the opposite side of the bar. “I’m not talking about the coffee. You’ve been avoiding and dodging me all day. Can we _please_ talk?”

Ignis visibly faltered and the guilt punched Noct in the stomach. “What would you wish to discuss, highness?” His voice was tense and forced and he looked like he wanted to run from the room.

Noct wanted to reach into Ignis’ mouth and pull the word _highness_ from his extensive vocabulary. He was going to make Noct spell it out because he didn’t think the prince actually _would_. He was mistaken. “I want to talk about what happened last night,” he pushed, speaking like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which, at this moment in time, he knew it was. Ignis was just refusing to acknowledge it.

At that, Ignis dropped his gaze, surprised. It almost felt like a victory. He grasped the mug again, downing the last of it in one swallow before turning the sink on to wash it out. “I apologize if I worried you. It was a dream, nothing more. Thank you for your concern, but I assure you I am just fine,” he said, calculating and slow. It sounded planned and still skirted away from what he knew Noct meant.

Still, it was another problem that should be addressed and Noctis jumped at the chance to press Ignis gently on the subject. “You could’ve told me you had nightmares,” he offered.

“That’s unnecessary,” Ignis declined. “I am perfectly capable of—”

“It’s not about being _capable_ ,” Noct interrupted. He’d been given this speech by Ignis a hundred times. Ignis would fondly berate him for not asking for help or trying to weather the storm on his own. Noctis would argue that he didn’t need hand holding, to which Ignis would reply that it wasn’t about holding his hand: it was about being next to him and showing support for a friend in need.

Ignis didn’t need the same speech because he knew the speech by heart. That was clear in the way he looked up at Noct, a soft frown settled on his lips. “It’s different. I told you.”

“Oh right,” he bit back. “I’m your _job_.”

It stung. The fears he’d had previously welled up in his throat. So maybe Ignis had felt forced to be near him. Noct was his responsibility – his _job_. If Ignis only felt compelled to help him only through his position, were they even friends? He scowled and looked away from his advisor.

The sink was shut off and the mug was abandoned. Ignis sighed heavily and, out of the corner of his eye, Noct saw him remove his glasses to rub two fingers against his temple, the other hand moving to the counter so he could lean heavily against it. “You are the prince,” Ignis told him tiredly.

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s inappropriate.”

“I’m your friend, aren’t I?”

“Of course, but that doesn’t absolve you of your status.”

“It’s just you and me, Ignis. There’s no one else here.”

Another sigh as if he didn’t want to be reminded. “Everyone has nightmares.”

Noct huffed and turned back to Ignis, reaching across the bar top to pull his hand away from his face. The touch startled Ignis and his eyes snapped open as he tried to step back again, but Noct’s grip held him in place. “That wasn’t just a nightmare,” he said firmly. “It wasn’t just a ‘went to class without pants’ dream. It wasn’t a nightmare like everyone else has.” Ignis disconnected their eyes and tried to remove his hand from Noctis, but he pulled Ignis toward him instead. “ _Was_ it?”

“Noct,” Ignis warned, prompting Noct to let go of him, almost relieved to hear his name instead of a title.

They stood in the would-be kitchen, Noctis practically glaring at Ignis’ profile while the other looked at the wall stubbornly. Ignis flexed the hand that Noct had been holding then clenched it into a fist as if to get the feel of him away.

“I’m sorry I kissed you.” The words fell from his mouth in a rush before he could lose his nerve.

This time Ignis winced openly. “It’s late,” he murmured, putting his glasses back on. “We ought to sleep.”

“Ignis—”

“Noct,” Ignis cut him off, snapping their eyes back to each other. Noctis swallowed and he watched Ignis carefully. There was no anger in his voice or in his expression. He just looked exhausted and in desperate need of peace, but Noct didn’t miss the way Ignis’ eyes wandered over his face and lingered over his lips for just a second.

Somehow it made his resignation easier.

Wordlessly, they both moved to their individual beds. Noct laid on his back, glancing over at Ignis. His advisor was turned on his side, away from Noctis. He frowned at the ceiling but when the lights went out his habits turned against him and he felt sleep creeping over him. He could hear Ignis’ breathing, knowing that he was still awake.

“Good night, Ignis,” he murmured in the darkness.

There was a beat before the reply, “Sleep well, Noct.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three coming soon!


	3. a wind in the shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He looked at Ignis again. There was one conversation he could have now, but facing Leviathan was preferable to facing Ignis. Maybe if he warped from the balcony and into the sea, Leviathan would wake and swim to the surface to swallow him whole. That would make things easier.

Things felt different in the morning.

Ignis was awake, as usual, and the scent of the strongly brewed coffee filled the hotel room. Prompto and Gladio were perched on the bar stools, eating the breakfast Ignis had managed. Noctis rolled over, peering at his friends from the bed while he tried to pretend like he was still asleep. Gladio spotted him however, moving over to him to shake him fully awake.

The night had passed without incident, at least as far as he was aware. Once he’d fallen asleep he had slept through the night, unbothered by any dreams or nightmares. For those precious few hours, he’d been at peace – completely unaware of the troubles that were waiting for him in the waking world.

He watched Ignis carefully after he managed to pull himself from the bed. Ignis was in a decidedly better mood and was calmly sipping his coffee while he prepared a cold breakfast for Noct. Prompto gave up his stool in favor of moving to the balcony to take more pictures, and Noctis observed his advisor closer. Ignis didn’t move away from him and his voice had lost the tightness from the day before. He started up a conversation with Noct, albeit formally, about the upcoming events of the day. His fingers brushed Noct’s as he passed the bowl of oatmeal but he didn’t flinch or react at all.

Noct couldn’t decide if this was better or worse.

There was more physical distance between them today. Ignis seemed to carefully place himself furthest from Noct. On the ride to Maagho’s, Ignis rode at the front of the boat while Noct sat with Prompto in the back. Gladio and Ignis carried a pleasant conversation while he and Prompto discussed what kind of fish they were hoping for when they went down to the docks. It was clear that Ignis was avoiding eye contact with him, but not on the same level of awkwardness from before.

Today it felt like Ignis didn’t _care_ about what happened. Noct decided this was worse.

There was a nice fishing spot near the restaurant that Weskham recommended after Noct asked. Prompto cheered as they took the gondola over, going through his camera to see if there were any disposable pictures. “I’m expecting a lot from you, Noct,” Prompto smirked, his eyes not leaving the display screen. “I want to see you reel in a monster like you did back home.”

“I don’t think I’m ever going to catch another Devil,” he answered as he led the way off the gondola and towards the spot.

“Not with that attitude you won’t,” Prompto retorted.

“You did catch the Liege of the Lake,” Gladio chimed in.

“ _Yeah_ ,” Prompto frowned, throwing a glare at Gladio. “That I _missed_ because just the two of you went!”

Gladio nudged Prompto’s shoulder, grinning. “You got a picture of it after.”

“But not the epic struggle! I missed the best part! Noct gets this dorky grin every time he catches a fish,” Prompto complained.

“No I don’t,” Noctis shot back as his fishing rod materialized in his hand. “Now can you guys shut up so I can concentrate?”

Prompto’s camera went off with a click as the line was cast. “Yes you _do_ ,” the blond insisted.

“Yeah you should’ve seen him after he caught the Liege,” Gladio grinned, crossing his arms over his chest.

“If you guys want me to catch something, _shut up_.”

“Ignis back us up,” Prompto called.

Noct glanced over his shoulder. Ignis stood under the bridge, leaning against the pillar, occupied with his phone. He appeared not to have heard Prompto, or was ignoring his request. At the second call of his name, his eyes snapped up and connected with Noct’s. The awkwardness was apparently back as Ignis quickly looked elsewhere, addressing Prompto, “Sorry?”

Scowling, Noct turned back to the water, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the rod tightly. “Doesn’t Noct look like a dork whenever he catches a good fish?” Prompto continued, the camera going off again.

“Ah,” Ignis considered. “I suppose.”

“Three to one, man,” Prompto shrugged, declaring victory.

“Okay, I get it,” he replied, rolling his shoulders. “Now can you please be quiet?”

They finally stopped talking and the prince was able to concentrate on the water. He let himself get lost in his fishing, trying not to think about Ignis or Luna or the nightmares. He just wanted this peace and he almost regretted not going down to fish alone the night before. It wasn’t like Ignis was going to talk to him about what happened again anyway, so maybe he would take some time to himself tonight after they got back to the hotel.

Eventually, as always, Prompto got bored of watching Noct fish. He hadn’t caught anything major, just small fish that he’d thrown back after a quick inspection as Prompto took a picture and griped about wanting to see something epic. After turning to his phone, apparently playing King’s Knight wasn’t able to hold the blond’s attention either. He insisted that they go to the market or to get some food, disregarding Gladio’s insistence that they’d just eaten at Maagho’s. But the breeze blowing gently through Noct’s hair and the smell of the salt water was too tempting to leave.

“You should come with,” Prompto said, bouncing over to him. “Maybe we could find a place that makes those desserts you like so much. Ignis can figure out the recipe!” Even Ignis had to smile at the way Prompto tried to imitate Ignis’ accent.

“Those are in Tenebrae. Besides,” Noct shrugged, “I’m not done here.”

“Dunno if splitting up is a good idea here.” Gladio uncrossed his arms from over his chest, glancing around the area.

“I can stay,” Ignis offered.

Noct reeled in his line and turned around to the discussion. “It’s fine,” he replied, shaking his head. “Go with them. I’ll just stay here.”

“Not by yourself, you won’t,” Gladio told him.

“I can take care of myself, you know,” Noctis frowned. “It’s just fishing. I don’t think there’s an imperial spy holding their breath under the water.”

Prompto snorted at that but Gladio looked at him pointedly. “It’s not about you not being able to take care of yourself.”

“It’s alright, Gladio,” Ignis insisted, stepping forward. “I will stay behind with Noct. You two go on ahead. We will join you once Noct is finished.”

The prince opened his mouth to argue but Gladio cut him off. “Fine,” he conceded, motioning to Prompto. “Call if you need something,” he said, more to Ignis than to Noct. The advisor nodded in confirmation. Prompto looked like he wanted to try to convince both of them to come but didn’t say anything, following Gladio around the corner.

“You didn’t have—” Noct started.

“I recognize that you’d like to be alone, but right now it’s not possible,” Ignis interrupted. He gripped his phone as he took a few steps back. “I’ll leave you to it,” he gestured towards the water.

Ignis didn’t look at him after that, retreating back under the bridge. He was quietly involved with his phone and Noct watched him for a few moments. He wanted to say something now that it was just the two of them, but the words wouldn’t leave the tip of his tongue. His mouth clamped shut and he turned back around, casting his line once more.

The minutes passed by slowly without any stir at the top of the water. Noct cast and recast the line, changed his lure a few times, but nothing seemed to be biting. He was about to call it when he felt a tug. He reeled once, feeling the strong pull as the fish struggled beneath the surface. “Oh man,” he muttered, planting his feet as he turned the rod to release the stress on the line.

Ignis heard him, pushing himself off the pillar. His steps on the dock distracted Noct momentarily but the fish thrashed, bringing him back to attention. “My goodness,” Ignis’ voice came from behind him, closer than he thought Ignis would get to him right now.

Noct grit his teeth as he reeled, feeling the fish struggling against captivity. “I got this,” he grit out.

“Careful Noct,” Ignis cautioned.

“I _got_ this,” Noct repeated, reeling again as the fish swam in the same direction as the line.

 It took a full minute before Noct was able to bring the fish close to the dock. He glanced down and could see the fish, roughly the length of his arm, struggling at the end of his hook. “Watch the line,” Ignis brought him back. “Almost have it, Noct.”

At the end, the fish thrashed helplessly and Noct knew the line wouldn’t last if he tried to reel it in. He continued turning his rod in an attempt to tire it out. Once the fish had slowed, he quickly reeled and heard the splash of water as it breached the surface. “Yes!” he cheered, moving quickly to collect it. It had dark red scales and sharp, pointed teeth.

He turned around and beamed at Ignis, holding up his catch with both hands. “Excellent,” Ignis smiled back, moving to him and resting a hand on his shoulder. He bent slightly to inspect the fish. “We’ll have to find out what kind of fish it is,” he considered, his hand still resting on Noct. “Find the safest way to cook it.”

Noct chuckled, adjusting his grip. “Well I think something this big can feed all four of us.”

“Indeed,” Ignis agreed, rubbing his jaw with his free hand. Noct watched his advisor’s face and the way he appraised the fish with attentive eyes and an intent stare. Ignis seemed to have forgotten all tension between the two of them but Noctis became hyperaware of the closeness between them and the hand that still gripped his shoulder. Ignis was listing off traits of the fish that may identify the type, but Noctis was too busy watching the way his lips moved. “What do you think, Noct?” he asked.

Upon looking up, Ignis seemed to notice their proximity. His eyes lingered and he didn’t seem to miss the way that Noct couldn’t help but let his gaze flicker once more down to Ignis lips. The hand immediately left his shoulder as Ignis took a few steps back and cleared his throat. Noct couldn’t remember what was asked of him. “What do I think of what?” he asked dumbly.

Ignis was caught off guard. “I… Of the fish,” he repeated, finding his bearings.

“Oh. It’s, uh,” Noct looked down, finally feeling how tired his arms were. “Big.”

“That it is,” Ignis nodded in agreement.

An uneasy silence fell over them as Noct laid the fish down on the dock. They weren’t looking at each other, instead choosing to stare down at the feebly thrashing fish.

Noct was the one to break the silence. “I still think we should talk,” he mumbled.

Ignis sighed and glanced over his shoulder like he was looking for an escape. “We discussed this last night.”

“Not really,” Noct grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ignis winced at that, knowing exactly what Noctis meant. “Now is not the time, highness.”

_Highness_. There was the title again. Noct scoffed but didn’t answer. He let his fishing rod dissipate, pulled his phone from his pocket, firing a quick text to Prompto about the catch. He and Ignis didn’t speak while they waited on the other two to rejoin them. Gladio carried the fish since they’d made the mistake of leaving the rest of the fishing gear at the hotel and they headed back to their rooms.

On the way back, Ignis researched the fish and discovered a skewer he could make with the meat – something Gladio was overly happy about. They took the fish to his and Noct’s room where he began preparations using the camping supplies he’d had the sense to pull from the Regalia before leaving the boat. Still, he and Noct weren’t speaking. It wasn’t an angry silence and the tension between them had, so far, gone unnoticed by Gladio and Prompto, both of which seemed to be in high spirits. They were all smiles and playful shoves, and Noct found himself wishing he could go back to a time when he was younger and he and Ignis had a similar dynamic. It was before Ignis became a sort of guardian, before the king’s health had noticeable deteriorated. Back then, it had just been the two of them. Gladio had been around, but Noct was still too young to require training.

Over the past few days, his friendship with Ignis had felt tested. It wasn’t the first time they’d tiptoed a line, but it had certainly never been _this_ line. When Ignis first got his appointment, there had been an adjustment period where they went from being just friends, to prince and retainer. Noctis often tested that distinction when he was younger, pulling Ignis out when he would sneak around or get in trouble. He’d made Ignis promise that they would always stay friends, no matter what professional relationship was required. Ignis had seemed very eager to agree to that promise. But recently, Noctis wasn’t so sure.

He watched Ignis fussing over the fish, legs crossed as he sat in the middle of the bed while Prompto sprawled out beside him and Gladio lingered in the kitchen waiting to be told to help or to leave. “Dude what’s up with you?” Prompto asked, low enough for it to just be addressed to Noct.

Shaking his head to bring himself from his thoughts, he looked down at the blond. “Nothing,” he lied. “Just tired.” It was a good blanket statement that was always applicable to Noct, whether it was to cover up a lie or not.

Prompto frowned, unconvinced. “Do you wanna go outside?” he asked, pointing over to the sliding door to the balcony. The addition of _to talk_ was left unsaid.

Noctis looked over to the door, considering the offer, then shook his head. “I’m good.”

“Okay man, well… I’m… around,” Prompto stuttered. “Y’know. If you need me.”

That made Noct smile and he reached down, shoving at the blond’s cheek with the palm of his hand. “You’re such a sap,” he teased.

Prompto blew him a kiss as he brushed Noct’s hand out of the way. He sat up on the bed and held up his phone. “King’s Knight?”

Noct hesitated, glancing at Gladio and Ignis. Gladio had been needed after all and was busying himself with whatever task Ignis had set him on. They were talking in low voices as they worked. Ignis had unbuttoned the top of his shirt and the sleeves were rolled up above his elbows. Gladio had removed his jacket, wearing only the tank for particularly warm days instead. They looked almost domestic and moved around each other with ease, familiar and friendly. Ignis’ lips quirked up at something Gladio said, his demeanor natural and he was more comfortable than Noct had seen him in days. Something that felt worryingly close to jealousy flickered through Noct’s chest as he grimaced, looking back at Prompto. The blond had his head tilted to the side, his brow drawn in as he watched the prince.

“Sure,” Noct said belatedly.

The phone in Prompto’s hand fell to the bed, unattended. “Dude what’s up?”

“Nothing,” Noct insisted, rolling over the bed to grab his own phone from the table. “Let’s play.”

“Outside,” Prompto insisted, snatching his phone from the bed. Before Noct could protest, he slid off the mattress. “We’re gonna sit outside,” he announced, opening the door. “Let us know if you need help.”

Gladio chuckled. “We’ve got it,” he answered. “King’s Knight after dinner?” he asked, pausing with his work to look up at them.

“Duh,” Prompto grinned. Noct could swear he saw Gladio wink at the blond but maybe it was the light.

He was silent when they got outside, focusing on his phone as it loaded the screen for the game. Prompto sat on the edge of his chair, looking expectantly at him, which he pointedly ignored. “Dude,” Prompto deadpanned.

“I told you I’m fine.”

“Then why were you glaring at Gladio and Iggy?”

“I wasn’t.”

“You’ve been looking at Ignis funny since yesterday.”

“I have not.”

“ _Dude_.”

Noct huffed and locked his phone, glaring at Prompto from the corner of his eyes. “Leave it alone, Prompto.”

“So there _is_ something, then.”

“ _No_ ,” Noct tried to cover then blew out a frustrated breath. “It’s not _something_. It’s nothing. It’s fine.”

“Are we, or are we not, best friends?” Noct rolled his eyes. “ _C’mon_ Noct, you can tell your buddy Prompto.”

Shaking his head Noct answered, “Just… something weird happened and now Ignis is being kind of dumb, that’s all.”

“Weird like how?”

“Just like…” Noct scratched his cheek awkwardly. Prompto knew he had nightmares – all three of them knew. Ignis was just he only one he went to about them because Ignis had always been the one he went to. But not even Noctis knew _Ignis_ had nightmares, and it wasn’t really a moment he wanted to share. Even with Ignis acting the way he was about this, it was still a moment just between them that Prompto and Gladio wouldn’t understand – and not just the kiss. “Dream… stuff.”

Prompto didn’t immediately get Noct’s meaning. “Like… you had a dream about you and Ignis… doing stuff?”

“ _What_?” Noct exclaimed, snapping his head to the side to stare at Prompto. “ _No_!” He could feel his face heating up a little at implications that Prompto couldn’t understand.

“Oh. _Oh_ , like _bad_ dream stuff. Right. Uh. Sorry.” Prompto rubbed the back of his head and smiled innocently at Noctis. “Why is he being dumb? I mean… doesn’t that happen sometimes? Isn’t he used to it?”

Noct bit the inside of his cheek and gave Prompto almost a desperate look. “I mean it was… a little different,” he tried awkwardly. He was no good at this. Prompto knew he was no good at this.

There was no request for an elaboration. Prompto just nodded and leaned back, considering. “I mean that explains a few things. Me and Gladio talked about it last night – I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s asking Ignis right now.”

So they had noticed that there was some tension. “You guys are good at not giving yourselves away,” Noct complimented. “I didn’t think you’d noticed.”

Prompto huffed sarcastically. “Give us a little more credit than that, buddy.”

Noct couldn’t stop himself from glancing over his shoulder to look at the other two in the kitchen. Nothing seemed different. Ignis still seemed relaxed and Gladio was still making him smile. The frown on his face must have given him away again as he turned back around and saw Prompto raising his eyebrows at him. “Dude,” he said, amused.

“What?”

“You’ve got it for Ignis, don’t you?”

“ _What_?”

Prompto shrugged, holding his hands up defensively. “I mean it makes sense. You guys have known each other for a long time. Like almost your whole life, right?”

“I don’t—” Noct started, stammering. “I mean, yeah since I was three, I think? But – _Ignis_ … He’s great, I mean, but…” He didn’t _know_ what he felt for Ignis. Up until two days ago he thought it was just friendship and a platonic love, but ever since they’d kissed he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He couldn’t stop watching Ignis’ lips or assessing the way his advisor acted strangely around him. Briefly he thought back to the moment on the docks when they’d momentarily forgotten their situation and everything felt normal again, but the way Ignis’ hand felt on his shoulder or the pride in his voice or the way he _smiled_ made Noct’s stomach lurch in a way he didn’t know how to describe.

He bit the skin beneath his lower lip to stop himself from speaking. He couldn’t stop the way he glanced back at Gladio and Ignis in the kitchen. Ignis was standing close to Gladio, showing him something and the way they were touching so informally brought that flutter of jealousy back. He scowled and turned his gaze back out to the sea, trying not to notice Prompto’s knowing smirk next to him.

“Whatever,” Noct said, shrugging and trying to seem more casual than he felt.

“So you admit it then?”

“ _No_ ,” Noct insisted. “Besides, him and Gladio seem cozy enough so… whatever.” He grumbled and slouched in his seat, crossing his arms.

Prompto’s eyebrows shot up and he leaned over into Noct’s space to get a look at them. “They look normal,” Prompto said, moving back into his own chair.

Noct jerked his arm as he lifted his shoulders up to touch his ears like he was hiding. “Looks like a thing to me,” muttered.

Prompto made a _pffft_ sound at him. “It’s not.”

“What makes _you_ so sure?”

Prompto’s cheeks puffed out with air and his ears turned red. “I dunno. I just am.”

Noctis looked over at his friend and squinted at him. “Prompto?” He drew the name out, arching his eyebrows.

“It’s not – we just… I…” Prompto stuttered, coughing and looked anywhere but Noct.

“ _We_?”

Prompto dropped his face into his hands and started to laugh awkwardly. “I mean… I think so,” he admitted, unable to face Noct.

“When did _that_ happen?”

“Like… I dunno. Maybe a month ago? A little less?”

“A _month_?” Noct almost shouted, shooting up in his chair.

Prompto brought his hands up at that, waving at Noct. “Keep it down!”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why didn’t _you_ tell me you were crushing on Iggy?”

“Because that just happened!” Noct snapped before he could stop himself.

“HA!” Prompto pointed at him triumphantly. “I _knew_ it.”

Noctis felt his own face reddening this time. “You and _Gladio_?”

“You and Ignis?”

They stared at each other like a challenge, narrowing their eyes from their individual chairs before both sighing simultaneously in defeat. Prompto chuckled and fiddled with his fingers while Noct pushed a hand through his hair. “We are _such_ a cliché,” he laughed.

Noctis didn’t disagree. “A month?”

“Give or take,” Prompto shrugged. “Or… I guess just take. It hasn’t been _more_ than a month.”

“Well I guess that explains some things too.”

“You didn’t know?” Prompto asked, glancing at him.

“Not a clue,” Noct admitted.

Prompto laughed. “Gladio owes me 500 gil.” At Noct’s questioning look he elaborated, “I told him you didn’t know but he figured you did. We made a bet and now he owes me 500 gil.”

“Does Ignis know?”

“Think so,” Prompto nodded. “When’d you get the hots for Iggy?”

Noct glared at him. “That isn’t…” He shook his head, giving up the argument. “We just had a… thing… two days ago, the night before we left.” With a sigh he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Ignis doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“So…” Prompto started hesitantly. “Lunafreya…”

Another sigh. Noct ran his hands over his face, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I don’t know,” he confessed.

Prompto made an understanding noise, clearly unsure of how to respond. “I’m here for you, buddy.”

“Thanks.”

There was a beat. “Want to play King’s Knight now?”

They played with no discussion outside of the game. Noctis didn’t press Prompto with questions about his relationship with Gladio and, in turn, Prompto didn’t ask him about Ignis or Luna or _whatever_ it was that was happening. They played until Gladio came to the door to tell them the food was ready.

Noctis couldn’t help but watch Prompto and Gladio interact now. They didn’t change anything, even though he knew, but he could see the way their relationship had developed. They smiled at each other and sat closer than they used to. Now that he’d been told, he thought back over the past few weeks and realized that they’d been getting closer and were more familiar with one another than they’d been before. Gladio had been teasing Prompto less and Prompto wasn’t complaining as much anymore. The innocent nudges and shoves had new meaning and Noct now understood that it was no mistake that he’d been paired with Ignis every time they’d split off.

The lingering stares, the smiles, the closeness – Noct wanted that. He looked down at his food and glancing up at Ignis through his hair, trying to be subtle. Ignis didn’t seem to notice, absorbed in something on his phone again, empty plate discarded in the sink. He briefly found himself wishing that he and Ignis could have a relationship like Prompto and Gladio, then he thought of Luna.

It was difficult for Noct to imagine being intimate with Luna. Watching the way Prompto and Gladio interacted, he tried to imagine behaving that way with Luna. Innocent touches and smiles, sitting near one another just to be together; lingering stares as they both admired the other for just being who they are. Noct didn’t even know what Luna looked like anymore. He tried to imagine kissing her, holding her hand, pulling her close as he woke from a nightmare, but the daydreams felt empty and hollow. Something felt like it was missing from their equation.

He met Luna when he was younger, after the daemon attacked him and left him changed, scarred. She gave him hope and he felt less alone with his destiny with her by his side because she had a great destiny awaiting her too as the Oracle. Of course she was pretty and he was certain the years hadn’t changed that, but it mattered little when he considered their connection to each other. He knew he cared deeply for her and that she cared for him. The support she provided him through just words and visits through Umbra had been invaluable, something he didn’t share with anyone. Except Ignis.

Ignis knew about the journal. He’d never actually read their private notes, but Noct would talk about Luna with Ignis and would occasionally discuss the contents of the journal for advice on what to send back. And only Ignis, out of all of his friends, knew him before the attack. Noct didn’t remember much before the daemon, but Ignis did. He would talk about how lively Noct used to be – he wouldn’t complain about having to go to sleep, something Noctis couldn’t imagine doing now. The fondness in Ignis’ voice as he talked about those days was undeniable, and sometimes he felt unsure that Ignis liked him as much anymore. But then Ignis would smile at him and those doubts would vanish.

Luna knew that Ignis was working to discover the recipe for the Tenebraen dessert. She offered to send it to him once, but Noct declined. Ignis seemed intent on discovering the secret himself and Noct had told her about how Ignis would spend time with him, looking for more details on what the dessert had tasted like as he tried to replicate it from Noct’s memory. When she replied, he could almost see the smile within her words as she told him she understood and was happy that he had someone as loyal and dedicated as Ignis.

He never told Ignis about Luna’s offer.

This was something that he would have to talk to Luna about after they summoned the Hydrean. At least the summoning would seem less frightening now, considering what he knew that discussion would follow. He looked at Ignis again. There was one conversation he could have now, but facing Leviathan was preferable to facing Ignis. Maybe if he warped from the balcony and into the sea, Leviathan would wake and swim to the surface to swallow him whole. That would make things easier.

After they’d eaten, Gladio and Prompto made the decision to go back out. Despite the fact that they invited both Noct and Ignis to come along, Noct turned it down claiming tiredness. With the newfound knowledge that Prompto and Gladio were some sort of item, it felt like he would be a bit of a third wheel since Ignis declined the offer as well.

“I believe I will head to the market for supplies,” he clarified when asked why.

“You guys sure you don’t want to go?” Prompto urged once more. “We wanted to go check out the Arena!”

“Quite sure,” Ignis nodded at the same time as Noct said, “Yeah it’s fine.”

“Don’t spend all the gil please,” Ignis continued, giving Prompto a look from over the tops of his spectacles.”

“I’ll keep him in line,” Gladio assured them, slinging an arm around Prompto’s shoulders.

“Call if you change your mind,” Prompto called as Gladio led the way out, his arm unmoved.

Noctis waved him off while Ignis began clearing away plates. He fiddled with one of his empty skewers, grinding it down on the plate until the point was in splinters. Chewing on his lip, he watched the crumbs of his food slide over the surface as he twisted the stick. “Stop playing with your food,” Ignis chastised him as he came over to remove the plate.

He dropped the skewer onto the plate, defeated, as Ignis gathered the last two plates in his hands. “Did you know about them two?” Noct asked, gesturing vaguely to the door.

Ignis lifted an eyebrow, looking down at him as he stacked two cups on top of the dishes he held. “I had my suspicions,” he relented.

Noctis put his head down on the bar, pressing his knees into barrier in front of him. “So I was last to know.”

Ignis made his way back around the counter, dropping the last of the dishes into the sink as he started the water. “I’m not sure I count because I didn’t _know_ ,” he replied, adjusting his sleeves once more so they wouldn’t fall as he washed.

“You and Gladio didn’t talk about it?”

“No.”

“Why did you suspect something then?”

“Observation,” he answered simply, looking briefly up at Noctis through his lashes. His glasses had slid down to the front of his nose and Noct fought the urge to lean over the counter to push them back up.

“Does it bother you?”

“Why would it?”

Noct bit his tongue as that jealousy returned. “I… don’t know,” he admitted. “I mean… you’ve… known Gladio for a while,” he trailed off, leaving the implications hanging between them. He watched Ignis through his bangs, trying to garner his reaction since he didn’t think he would get a straight answer.

“I have,” Ignis agreed but his lips were tight and his shoulders were tense.

“But it doesn’t bother you?” A beat. “That he’s with Prompto.” Another beat. “And not you?”

Ignis shut the water off with a little more force than necessary. “No,” he said flatly.

Noctis picked his head up from the bar and squinted at him. “I mean that would explain why you don’t want to talk about kissing me—”

“ _Noct_ ,” Ignis deadpanned, his hands curling over the edge of the counter. “My feelings for Gladio are and have always been platonic. He is my friend and I have never desired any other relationship with him.” He let out an embarrassed breath through his nose as he returned his attention to the dishes. “Does that satisfy you?”

Noctis shrugged. “Sort of,” he replied stubbornly. But he felt warm and his lips were quirked up at the corners, any traces of jealousy fading fast.

“ _Sort of_ ,” Ignis scoffed, shaking his head.

“You still won’t talk to me about the other night,” Noct pointed out. “So yeah. Sort of.”

Ignis frowned at him, pausing with a plate in his hand and a cloth to dry it in the other. “I don’t believe it requires discussion.”

“I disagree.”

Finally Ignis sighed and put the plate and cloth down. He dropped his head to his chest as he leaned against the counter. “Noct,” he said, sounding like he was forcing the words out. “I was… I acted inappropriately. You have my apologies.”

“I don’t want an apology,” Noct told him, leaning forward.

Ignis arched an eyebrow. “Then what do you want?”

_To kiss you again_ , Noct thought. Which was irrational, he was sure. Ignis just apologized for the kiss ever happening. Clearly Ignis didn’t want to kiss him again. “You wouldn’t even look at me,” he said quietly.

“I… You caught me off guard,” he admitted.

That’s why Ignis had been more normal today, Noct realized. He still continued to distance himself, but he was more composed. His guard was back up. “Did you only kiss me because I’m the prince?” he blurted before he could stop himself.

They looked directly at one another. Ignis blinked at him, eyes wide and mouth set into a thin line. Noct watched him worriedly as Ignis’ eyes darted between his, searching for the right answer. He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again – several times. Noct’s gaze started darting away and back to Ignis as the elongated silence lasts. Eventually Ignis removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s fine,” Noct lied, sliding off the bar stool.

“Noct,” Ignis started, but he held up a hand to stop him.

“Don’t worry about it, Ignis.”

Ignis looked at him hopelessly – his guard was down again. It was easier to recognize without the glasses there as a makeshift shield. “It isn’t that simple,” he tried.

Noctis shrugged and moved away from the kitchen. “I get it. Really. It’s fine.” The word sounded empty.

“It isn’t,” Ignis argued, looking like he wanted to move toward Noct. “Don’t misunderstand, Noct, you… mean a great deal to me.”

He hesitated, looking back at Ignis. The advisor looked practically desperate, leaning forward as he gripped the edge of the counter. He didn’t have any words to respond with so he just looked at Ignis, taking a tentative step back toward him.

“But you _are_ the prince,” Ignis said, regret written plainly across his features.

They stared at each other for a long time, and Noct couldn’t decide how to take that answer. It hadn’t been a definitive yes or no and had done nothing to assuage his worry or guilt. Finally he sighed, and nodded in defeat, disconnecting their gazes and pulling his phone from his pocket to dial Prompto. The blond was giggling when he answered, and cheered when Noct said he would join them.

He spent the evening at the arena with Prompto and Gladio. Even though he knew, they didn’t drastically change their behavior in front of him. When he first arrived at the seats, he knew he’d interrupted something, but the way Prompto greeted him eased his discomfort. The blond poked him with questions when Gladio ducked out to grab a few snacks, but Noctis shook his head and didn’t answer. He’d had enough feelings discussion for one day.

“I’m just here to bet and lose gil,” Noct told him, trying to smile convincingly.

“Well how about we make you feel better by betting and _winning_ gil?” Prompto suggested, clapping him on the shoulder.

Ignis didn’t join them.

It was late when they got back to the hotel. Prompto and Gladio said their goodnights before parting to their own room. Prompto offered once more to talk, but Noct insisted everything was fine. _Fine_. The word tasted bitter in his mouth and he scowled as he closed the door behind him.

Ignis was already sitting in bed, reading something on his phone. He looked up when Noct entered the room, swinging his legs over the bed stand. “Don’t get up,” Noct said, putting his hand up.

There was a moment’s hesitation before Ignis sank back down into the bed. “Did you have a nice time?” he asked stiffly.

He shrugged and headed to the bathroom, remembering to grab a change of clothes this time. Ignis didn’t miss that, his eyes flickering down as Noct rifled through his bag. “We won about 100 gil I think,” he replied.

“That’s good.”

Noctis hummed. “I’m going to shower then sleep.”

“Alright.” Ignis paused, shifting in place on the bed, like he wanted to say something. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Yeah,” Noct mumbled, turning his back and slipping into the bathroom.

He took a noticeably longer shower than the previous day. The words _you are the prince_ rang in his head like a bad song that he couldn’t forget. He tried to clear his head, turning the cold water completely off, letting his skin turn bright red from the heat. The steam billowed around him and his breath was shallow in the warmth of the room. He leaned his forehead against the tiled wall and sighed, watching the steam move through the air.

This time he didn’t let his thoughts wonder. He didn’t overthink. Ignis made his position clear. There was nothing else to think about now. He was the prince, Ignis was his advisor. That was all.

The water ran cold before he got out of the shower. The steam had faded as the temperature of the water decreased and Noct methodically dried himself off and donned his new clothes. Ignis was still sitting up in bed, but he was no longer reading, his head was tilted back and eyes closed. He didn’t lift his head when Noctis came back in. He unceremoniously dropped the dirty clothing on the ground at the foot of his bed, but still Ignis said nothing.

“Can I turn the lights off?” he asked as he settled into bed. Ignis merely hummed in response, which Noct took as a yes and flipped the switch.

The darkness settled around them and the silence hung heavy. He could hear Ignis shifting as he moved under the sheets and settled against the pillows. There was a small clack as Ignis set his glasses down on the bedside table that seemed to echo through the quiet. They both shuffled around their beds, tossing and turning as they tried to find a comfortable position, neither seemingly able to lie still.

Noctis huffed, exasperated and stared up as he flipped onto his back. His eyes had adjusted to the dark and he squinted at the grainy ceiling, the light from the streets below their room illuminating the room. He turned his head to see Ignis’ lump in the other bed. The advisor had the sheets drawn up to his chin and he laid on his side, facing away from Noctis – odd considering his usual position was flat on his back, the sheets at the comfortable height of his chest. Noct always joked that he looked like he was in a hospital when he slept. But now he was curled on his side, hiding under the blankets.

Guilt churned in his stomach, reasons lost to him. He pursed his lips and directed his attention back to the ceiling. “What do you dream about?” he asked.

There was a long pause before he heard Ignis adjust his position. He glanced over, but Ignis’ back was still turned. The other man had uncurled and the blankets had slid down to the tops of his shoulders. He could hear Ignis let out a breath. “You,” he answered quietly.

“Me?” Noct’s voice was barely above a whisper. He knew Ignis was speaking of his nightmares and he swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. Did he dream about Noct betraying him? About Noctis forsaking his role of prince and king, leaving the country in ruins as Ignis desperately clawed at the pieces?

Ignis didn’t speak again for a few moments and he’d stopped adjusting his position. Noct bit back all the questions that leapt to the front of his mouth, and he almost gave up that Ignis would elaborate before he continued, “I dream that I fail you.”

This time Noct doesn’t say anything. Failure and Ignis didn’t seem like they would fit into the same sentence. He had never seen Ignis fail at anything he’d ever tried to do. He was funny, which some people found to be surprising; he was strong and agile, his skill in battle matching even Gladio’s who had trained for combat his entire life; his cooking was the best Noct ever had; he was kind and understanding, patient when he shouldn’t have been. Ignis had never and could never fail him.

“I dream that I lose you.”

Noct turned his head to look at Ignis. He could see Ignis’ shoulders, tense and drawn up to his neck. His advisor’s voice was thick and he tried to fight the urge to slide out of his bed and into Ignis’. Just as he gave in and began to move, Ignis’ voice interrupted him once more, “Goodnight, Noct.”

Feeling rejected, Noct hesitated for just a moment before sliding back down into the sheets. He didn’t reply, but he waited until he heard Ignis’ breathing steady with sleep before he was able to close his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took me so long. Some personal things happened and I have been left with little time to write.
> 
> This chapter did not go the way I thought it was going to. I wrote the climax of this chapter before the build up thinking it might be easier to get where I needed it go. Not at all. Instead, the build up went a completely separate way. The climax of this chapter has been moved to chapter four, and the work itself has been extended by two chapters. Also this work is officially in the same world/universe/whatever as my Promptio fic, [white lines ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9444092).
> 
> There are a number of scenes removed from this chapter that may appear later in the work or in other works I've been developing. There will be some details about where exactly this work is going at the end of the fifth chapter. There is a plan, but know that this particular work will not go past Altissia. This explores a developing relationship between Ignis and Noctis during the events before Ignis loses his sight. More on this later.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Chapter four is already in process. Thank you all for your patience! :) I am on [tumblr ](http://chocobroz.tumblr.com/) and I blog about my writing, writing process, and even a few tidbits on deleted portions of the fics. I post previews to upcoming works and chapters as well. Everything is tagged as #katie writes. so explore away if you'd like! I have a very extensive tag system and I talk about ignoct and promptio a lot.


	4. show me love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He certainly didn’t want all the tension and uncertainty within their friendship, but maybe the kiss hadn’t been a bad thing. It was revealing something about himself that he didn’t know was there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These notes won't be long so you can get to it but: I am so sorry this took so long! Please enjoy! This chapter is 10,639 words, so hopefully that makes up for how long this took! More notes at the end!
> 
> Upped the rating to M, just to be safe. Enjoy!

“Unless she stands to _profit_?” Noct spat once they were safely out of earshot. “We are trying to _help_ get rid of the empire, and that’s what she’s worried about?”

Ignis pursed his lips as they each took a seat at one of Weskham’s dining tables. “She is just trying to protect her city,” he reasoned, though he looked almost as bitter about the situation as Noctis.

“Luna’s safety isn’t _her_ decision to make,” Noct persisted, ignoring Ignis. He scratched at the table with the tip of his fingernail, grinding his teeth with clear displeasure.

“Get it all out now,” Gladio told him, waving over one of the servers. “When you go talk to her you can’t say any of that.”

Noct rolled his eyes heavily and dropped his head onto the table. “This is so _stupid_.”

“This is politics,” Gladio responded then turned his attention to the woman who came over to take their order. Gladio tended to order for the whole table and Noct rarely complained. He picked food they would all eat and enjoy, though he always skipped the dessert when asked which forced Noct to have to do the ordering then.

Prompto was leaning his head against his fist, not-so-subtly smirking at Gladio as they started up a conversation about plans for their King’s Knight game later that day. Ignis studied his phone, his lips curved down as his eyes shuffled across the screen. Noct continued his assault of the table with his fingernail, frowning at the way the wood sounded as he scraped across it. Maybe it was better that Insomnia had fallen – he didn’t have the stomach for political maneuvering.

A hand fell over his, halting his annoyed scratching on the table. He lifted his head, following the arm to Ignis, who kept his gaze pointedly on his phone, but his free hand gripped Noct’s own. He raised his eyebrows and sat up, Ignis responding with a short squeeze before withdrawing his touch, never turning his eyes toward Noct.

That morning had been strange. It had taken hours for Noctis to find sleep, skirting at the edge of it almost all night. They’d both woken up and carefully ignored the tension in the room, tiptoeing around each other. Things felt almost normal – just a normal that was more synonymous with Noct’s high school years rather than the later ones. There was a distinctly professional tone in the air and in the way they addressed one another, losing all the personality and friendliness that had finally reentered their relationship. All day Prompto and Gladio had separated them, Ignis and Noctis the bookends of the four as they’d spent a leisurely afternoon about the city. Today they were advisor and prince, not Specs and Noct.

Still, Noct felt a little colder when Ignis’ hand left his. He pulled his hands from the table, shoving them under his thighs as he tried to engage in Gladio and Prompto’s conversation. Since Prompto’s confession about their relationship, the two had become slightly more publicly affectionate towards one another. There was no hand holding or loving kisses, but their looks openly lingered and they continually flashed knowing grins at the other, some private joke that neither one of their other companions knew.

They didn’t make up excuses to sit together either, which was forcing a physical closeness between Noctis and Ignis. Up until that very moment, Ignis had been very careful not to touch Noct all morning.

“You’re going to need to prepare,” Ignis said as the food arrived, dropping his phone inside the breast pocket of his jacket.

“Prepare for what?” Noct asked, pulling the greens from his burger and depositing it on Ignis’ plate.

Ignis sighed heavily, shaking his head slightly at the discarded vegetables. “Your meeting with the Secretary,” he continued, adding the greens to his own burger.

Noct scowled. “What for? It’s not that hard to say, ‘hey help us or the world is doomed’ or whatever.”

Prompto snorted, hiding his grin behind his food to avoid Ignis’ glare. “It’s more delicate than that, highness.”

Again with the titles. His tiredness got the better of him as he lifted his eyes to glare at Ignis, who met it with one of his own. “It’s not that _simple_ , you mean,” he bit back, the bitterness from last night’s encounter and the upcoming meeting with diplomats dripping in his tone.

“Yes. That is precisely what I mean,” Ignis retorted, knowingly matching Noct’s tone.

“Play nice, ladies,” Gladio eased in, putting a hand on Ignis’ shoulder that, despite knowing the truth, made Noct’s stomach turn the way it had yesterday when he saw the two so comfortable in the kitchen. He turned his glare on Gladio, who deadpanned, “You’re the _king_ , Noct.”

“I know what I am,” he exclaimed, his voice raised. “Why does _everyone_ think they have to _remind_ me?” His gaze darted back to Ignis specifically, who held it for only a moment before dropping his eyes back down to the table.

The other two shuffled awkwardly, glancing at each other with silent questions of how to handle the outburst. This was the kind of mood that Ignis normally dealt with – a kind word or a held glance, occasionally he would stand and lead Noct away to let him vent or quietly fume away from the watchful eyes of others. But not this time. Ignis was the target of Noct’s mood this time and he made sure to glare harder at Ignis than Prompto or Gladio.

Noct bit the inside of his cheek, turning away with a frown. It didn’t help that they still referred to him as the prince, so hearing the new title felt like an extra jab. He shoved his food to the middle of the table, barely touched and absent of all vegetables. “I’m not hungry,” he muttered.

The silence around the table continued and he could feel his friends looking at each other while he glared at his uneaten food. “You want to go fishing, buddy?” Prompto asking, leaning towards him.

It was tempting, but no. “I’m not a _child_ ,” he hissed, turning to Prompto first. He regretted it when the blond recoiled, and grimaced, instead directing his anger back towards the proper place: Ignis. “Stop treating me like I don’t know who I am.”

“No one said—” Ignis started.

Noct surged forward, grasping the edge of the table. “I’m capable of doing this without you,” he sneered, ignoring the way Prompto slumped down into his seat and Gladio leaned up, as if he were ready to stop an impending fist fight.

Ignis’ lips pursed into a thin line and his jaw set as he regained composure. He adjusted his spectacles, irritatingly calm, and replied, “It isn’t about being capable.” Their eyes met and Noct lifted his chin defiantly, but Ignis didn’t falter. “I won’t let you push me away.”

“ _Me_ push _you_ away?” Noct scoffed and Ignis frowned.

“ _Okay_ ,” Gladio sat up, pushing Noctis’ food back to him. “Eat, _your majesty_. Ignis, come on. I’m separating you two.” A large hand planted on Ignis’ shoulder, leading him to another table before returning to take both of their plates. He sent an apologetic look to Prompto before going back.

“Dude,” Prompto said, simple and carefully not prying.

“Whatever,” he grumbled, picking his burger back up.

He knew that had escalated past his disappointment at the secretary’s uncooperativeness. The entire situation with Ignis had upset him and he seemed to start up the arguments at the worst times. The secretary wasn’t the only one being uncooperative.

“You can talk to me Noct,” Prompto told him, his voice just barely above a whisper. “I mean that’s probably what Gladio is trying to get out of Ignis right now.”

Noctis’ eyes flicked to Prompto and then over to Gladio. The shield was hunched over his food, giving Ignis a hard stare as he said something Noct couldn’t hear and he’d never had a talent for lip reading. “You didn’t…” he trailed off, shifting his eyes back over to Prompto.

“Hell no,” Prompto reassured him, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t have to tell him _everything_.”

“Good to know,” Noct replied, taking a bite to hide his smile.

“I’ve got your back, man,” Prompto beamed. “Now do you want to tell me what’s up with you and Iggy? Yesterday you guys could at least be in the same room together.”

Noct grimaced. “He’s only here because I’m the prince.” He picked at the bread, rolling a piece between his fingers. “ _I_ don’t actually have anything to do with it.”

Prompto frowned. “I don’t think that’s true,” he replied. “Ignis would do anything for you.”

“He’d do anything for the _prince_. Not _me_.”

“But you _are_ —”

“ _I know_ ,” Noctis snapped, flicking the piece of bread away.

“Sorry,” Prompto said immediately. “But I don’t think that’s why Ignis is here. I mean it might be why you guys became friends, but I’m pretty sure Ignis is here because of _you_.”

“Why?”

Prompto deadpanned, frowning in an exaggerated manner. “Noct c’mon. You wouldn’t get away with half the crap you pull if Ignis were just your advisor.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “The guy _lives_ for you. I was always jealous. I’d think, ‘Man I wish someone would look at _me_ like that’.”

Noct’s head snapped up, his brow drawn in. “Like what?”

“Like you’re the most important thing in the world?” Prompto’s voice went up at the end, like a question, but his tone was clearly stating the obvious. “I used to think Ignis was head over for you until you told me yesterday he was being weird.”

“Head over?”

“Head over heels, man.”

“I mean I know, but why did you leave that part out?” Noct asked.

“Don’t change the subject, dude,” Prompto shoved his shoulder. “What I’m trying to say is maybe you’re misreading something?”

Noctis pursed his lips, glancing over the blond’s shoulder at the other pair. From the looks of it, they’d settled into a tense silence. Ignis’ back was stiff and his food was sitting half eaten, shoved to the side as Gladio finished off his own burger. His eyes drifted over to Noct and they looked at each other, but Noctis couldn’t decipher Gladio’s unspoken meaning to the glance.

“So you don’t think Ignis likes me anymore?” Noct asked, staring at the back of his advisor’s head.

Prompto, despite himself, chuckled. “You’ve got it bad, dude.”

“I do not,” the prince protested, his eyes dropping quickly back to the table.

“Listen I don’t know the whole situation,” Prompto held up his hands as if to relinquish responsibility, but he continued smirking. “All I’m saying is that you’re wrong about _that_. Ignis is definitely not only here because you’re the prince.”

Noctis opened his mouth, then closed it again, considering. He took a slow bite of his burger, pondering what was said as he studied the body language of their other two companions across the floor. “We… kissed,” he said slowly, almost regretfully.

There was no immediate response the way he thought there would be. Prompto looked at him blankly, his food lifted halfway to his mouth. “ _When_?” he asked, voice unusually calm but intent.

“The night before we left,” he responded, staring at the inside of the meat. The light shades of pink always made him feel uneasy to look at, but Ignis had made things well done for him before and it never tasted right. His taste buds won out over the look of the food.

“And that’s when Iggy got weird?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you kiss him or did he kiss you?”

“I don’t know,” Noct shrugged, averting his gaze. “It just kind of happened.”

“And he kissed you back? Or you kissed him back? It was mutual?”

“Yeah.”

“What’d he say about it after?”

“Nothing,” Noct huffed, dropping his arms on the table in frustration. “That’s what I mean. He won’t talk about it. He barely acknowledges that it happened. He said that I caught him off guard.”

“ _Dude_.” Prompto was suddenly beaming at him, grabbing his arm. “ _That’s_ why Ignis is being weird. He totally _is_ head over for you!”

“Why do you keep leaving ‘heels’ out?” Noct asked, glancing down at Prompto’s death grip on his arm.

“Shut _up_.” Prompto’s hands twisted on his skin in his haste. Noct could almost see him putting pieces of a puzzle together – but it was more like the excited kid that figured it out and accidentally knocked the table over. “You kissed him and he doesn’t know what to do about it because _you’re_ supposed to marry Lady Lunafreya!”

“That’s so helpful,” Noct said sarcastically, frowning at him.

“You gotta tell him that you’ve got it for him,” Prompto insisted.

“I don’t even _know_ what I have or if I’ve even _got_ anything!”

“Dude you totally do, though,” he replied instantly, squeezing his hand over Noct’s arm again. “You _have_ to tell him, even if you don’t have it figured out yet.”

Noct pulled his arm out of Prompto’s grasp, turning to glare at his food again. He could feel Prompto holding back any other words that wanted to tumble out of his mouth and out of the corner of his eye he saw the blond looking over at their other companions. The silence was stifling and Noctis did his best to keep his thoughts away from even the _idea_ of telling Ignis how he felt.

Ridiculous. That’s the adjective the prince settled on. The concept of Ignis feeling anything that wasn’t platonic towards their relationship was ridiculous. If that was the case he wouldn’t have pulled away. Noctis knew life wasn’t like the movies, but he knew that a first kiss with someone you supposedly cared about beyond friendship was a _good_ thing. It should consist of embarrassed smiles and lingering touches after. There would have been a discussion about it, not forced ignorance followed by avoidance. Ignis wouldn’t be afraid to be so close to him – ever since they’d kissed, his advisor had seemed nothing short of miserable.

If Ignis were _head over_ he would be happy.

Noct heard the chairs scrape across the floor and he glanced up, Gladio and Ignis headed back over to collect them. He ducked his head and his food was moved to the middle of the table.

“I’ll tell him for you.”

He couldn’t remember ever wanting to punch Prompto before that moment, and he could tell his friend knew because the blond was jumping up from the table just barely before Noct launched at him. There was a teasing smile on Prompto’s face as he dodged over to Gladio, using the shield’s arm as his _own_ shield. Despite his mood, Noctis grinned and settled for shoving at the one of Prompto’s shoulders he could reach.

“Cooled off?” Gladio asked, cocking an eyebrow, lifting his arm to glance at Prompto from underneath.

Noct glanced at Ignis, who stood silently behind Gladio with his head down as he cleaned his glasses. “Yeah,” he said shortly, his grin slowly fading from his lips.

Clearly not fully convinced, Gladio narrowed his eyes at him. “Fine,” he relented. “It’s getting late. Let’s head back.” As a confirmation, Noct yawned and Gladio chuckled as he clapped a hand over the prince’s shoulder. “Seems about right.”

As they got back to the hotel, Gladio’s hand fell on Noct’s shoulder again. The walk back had been weird, Prompto talked almost the whole way to fill the silence, only pausing when he found something particularly interesting to photograph. But when Gladio kept Noct back as Ignis and Prompto went upstairs, was when he started to feel truly uneasy.

“What?”

Gladio pursed his lips but didn’t take the bait. “You want to tell me what happened?” he asked, his eyes glancing up at Ignis’ retreating back.

“No.”

“ _Okay_ , let me rephrase then,” Gladio frowned. “You want to tell me _your_ version of what happened?”

“Ignis told you?” Noct asked, surprised, but his only answer was raised eyebrows. “What did _he_ say happened?”

Puffing out a breath Gladio answered, “All he said was that it wasn’t a sex dream.”

Noct’s eyes blew wide before he scowled. “You and Prompto _both_ went there,” he grimaced, scratching at the place where Prompto had grabbed him earlier. It was still slightly red from where skin twisted over skin, the slight burn more irritating than painful.

The shield shrugged, leaning against the wall on the outside of the hotel. Music from indoors drifted outside, mingling with the sounds of the people in line to check out or back in. “It would make sense.”

“Not even a little,” Noct retorted.

“Well listen, whatever it is that’s going on between you two – work it out,” Gladio deadpanned.

His lips turned down at the corners, turning over Gladio’s words once in his head. “Gee. That’s really helpful, thank you.”

The older man rolled his eyes. “Don’t be a brat. I’m serious. Whatever the hell is going on, it’s messing with Iggy.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” he asked. “ _He’s_ the one that won’t talk about it. Not me.”

“You sound like a damn child, Noct,” Gladio told him instantly, his voice dropping into that clearly disappointed tone that he seemed to reserve for just Noctis. “I know Ignis and whatever this is has got him spinning if he doesn’t want to talk to you about it. You don’t even know everything that he does for you so just for _once_ , do something for him and let it go.”

The hairs on Noct’s arms raised as he prickled at that accusation. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said through his teeth.

“Don’t worry princess, I’m not moving in on him.” When Noct balked at that he raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Yeah he told me you asked him if he was jealous. He _should_ be,” Gladio gestured to himself, “look at me.”

Noct groaned, having to roll his entire head to convey his annoyance, turning back into the hotel as he dismissed the conversation. Gladio followed and continued anyway, “All I’m saying is that he’s not interested in me. He doesn’t have time for that.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Noct asked, climbing the stairs to their floor.

“What I said,” was the unhelpful reply.

“Again, you’re a big help.”

“I can’t help you fix this. This is on _you_ ,” Gladio shrugged. “I’m just here to tell you to get your shit together and do something about it so that Ignis comes out of whatever cloud his head’s been stuck in for days.”

“Any suggestions?” he asked, pausing outside of the door to Gladio and Prompto’s room. His eyes followed the gold patterns of the carpet beneath his feet, woven into the dark red base color.

The bodyguard sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “Just try to act normal,” he said, shrugging. “If he doesn’t want to talk about it, then just be your usual self – y’know? A selfish little brat,” he smirked.

Noct punched Gladio’s arm lightly. “Asshole,” he muttered, fighting the grin creeping over his features.

“Seriously though,” Gladio added as Noct made to leave. “You both have been weird. Just stop being weird. You won’t tell me _what_ you’re fighting about, but just pretend like it didn’t happen. Maybe if things are normal again, Ignis will go back to wanting to actually talk about his issues.”

Noct pouted his lips, considering. He nodded as he wandered back to his door and Gladio disappeared through his. Ignis was sitting at the bar, reading over his recipe book with a frown on his face. Noct’s usual response to that felt a million years behind from him. It had only been a few days, but the way they _used_ to be felt far away.

“Don’t you think you spend enough time trying to find stuff to cook?” Noct asked, making a beeline for his bed.

Ignis’ eyebrows lifted as he looked at the prince from over top of his spectacles. “Doesn’t hurt to read over my notes,” he replied, though there was an edge to his tone.

They sat silently as Ignis went back to reading and Noct stared at the ceiling, trying to think of something he could say to ease the tension and send them back down the path to normalcy.

“Gladio told you to fix this, didn’t he?” Ignis asked stonily, his eyes staying on his notebook, clearly not reading.

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“And…” Noct paused. And what? “And I want stuff to get back to normal,” he said slowly, unsure.

“I see.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what, highness?”

“You know what,” Noct shot back, propping himself up on his elbows.

Ignis sighed through his nose, adjusting his glasses as he set his recipe book down on the counter. “I, too, would like to return to normal,” he admitted, making his way to his own bed. He sat on the edge, leveling his gaze with Noct’s. “If that is what you want, then it shall.”

Noct searched Ignis’ gaze, attempting to decipher his guarded expression. He looked more at ease than he’d been in the past few days, his position confident and his words sincere. “It’s… what I want,” he answered tentatively.

“Right,” Ignis nodded, glancing down at his hands. “Then off with you. You need a wash. We’ll prepare for your meeting with the secretary in the morning over breakfast.”

Noctis nodded and his eyes drifted away from his advisor absentmindedly. It sounded nearly normal, maybe just a bit awkward. It had to be better this way. Going back to this – more than the prince and his advisor, but not more than friends – _had_ to be better. Noct didn’t pine. Ignis didn’t pine. They don’t do that. Ignis went above and beyond for Noct because they were good friends, though it helped that he was wholly dedicated to his position. Noct considered that he might have feelings for Ignis because he preferred familiarity and no one was more familiar than Ignis. That was all.

“Highness?”

Ignis’ voice brought him from his thoughts and his head snapped back up. “Yeah – shower, got it,” he answered hastily, rolling off the bed but not without missing the odd look Ignis gave him.

“I’ll bring a change of clothes for you,” the other man told him, picking Noct’s bag up from the floor.

Without another word the prince headed for the bathroom, trying to keep his hands by his side instead of letting them drift up to brush his fingers over his lips. He closed the door softly behind himself as his mind turned over their conversation, still unsure if he actually wanted to go back to the way they were before the kiss. He certainly didn’t want all the tension and uncertainty within their friendship, but maybe the kiss hadn’t been a bad thing. It was revealing something about himself that he didn’t know was there.

Familiarity _was_ comforting for Noctis. That’s where he found attraction and intimacy, thus why no one at school had ever interested him. He’d toyed with the idea of being attracted to Prompto at the beginning of their friendship, but there was something about their intimacy that had never called him to feel anything else. Luna was the only one he’d ever had romantic feelings for, thanks to their many years of communication after his accident and the attack on her home. He told her nearly everything.

It seemed that over the past few days, he’d realized that his feelings for her might not quite be romantic now. As he stepped into the shower, he leaned his shoulder against the wall as he contemplated. That’s what had been missing from their equation whenever he pictured being with her in his head recently. _Love_ – specifically romantic love. When he was younger he’d watch movies and see couples on screen fall in love and marry – he’d deny it if anyone accused him of it, but his romantic side would picture him and Luna at the altar, smiling, happy and in love. He didn’t know what romance was then, and people in movies seemed happy being with someone they’d only known for a short time. So he was convinced he fell in love with her.

The thought of seeing her excited him, but it didn’t make him feel giddy or make his heart skip a beat anymore. What _did_ make him feel all of that was the thought of kissing Ignis again – of experiencing romantic feelings _with_ Ignis. It was something he had never considered until this week even though his advisor had been around for a long as he could remember.

Despite all this, his feelings for Luna were still complicated. After believing he was in love with her for so long, he couldn’t reconcile with not feeling for her anymore. But he couldn’t deny the way he felt when he looked at Ignis or remembered what it was like to feel those lips on his or the way Ignis wrapped his arms around him looking for comfort that night. His heart skipped a beat when he thought of all the times he went to Ignis seeking shelter from his nightmares and how he was pulled in close and told calmly that Ignis was _there_.

The door to the bathroom opened quietly and Noct could feel the cooler air lapping at his ankles. Ignis didn’t say a word as he gathered the discarded clothing from the floor and set the new set on the sink. Noct stared at the drain and found his thoughts wandering once again to the thought of sinking into the drain and out to the sea where the Hydrean was waiting.

As Ignis made the leave Noct burst out, “Ignis?” It startled himself and his eyes went wide as he bit his tongue.

Ignis hesitated and he heard the door creak open more. “Yes highness?”

“Do you think everything is going to be okay?” he heard himself ask, but his voice felt far away.

There was a heavy silence between them, nothing but the water hitting the bottom of the tub to hear. “I honestly don’t know, Noct,” Ignis replied. Of course, he was always honest with Noct if asked a direct question. Noctis still remembers the time Ignis told him in no uncertain terms that his choice of tie for a formal event was, quote, _positively hideous_.

When Noctis didn’t answer, the door clicked shut and the prince slumped against the shower wall, his eyes focusing on the stream of water instead.

He wasn’t sure he would call it love, whatever it was he was feeling for Ignis. But he knew he felt something that was beyond platonic. Friends didn’t want to kiss their friends, did they? He wasn’t after a physical relationship – though certainly not opposed – but he thought back on what Prompto had said earlier.

_Man I wish someone would look at me like that_.

Noct wanted to see what Prompto saw. He wanted to see if Ignis ever looked at him the way Prompto described. If there could ever hope to be a glimmer of reciprocation for whatever he felt.

Ignis was sitting on his own bed when Noct got out of the shower. He toweled at his hair, squeezing the water into the cloth as he observed Ignis studying his recipe book again. “Anything good?”

Ignis glanced up at him from over the book. “A few,” he replied. “I don’t believe it would be anything you would like though.” A small smirk crossed over his lips. “Too many vegetables.”

Noct made a face, sticking his tongue out as he tossed the damp towel back in the bathroom. “No thanks,” he agreed.

“However I am unsure as to what Lady Lunafreya might enjoy,” Ignis continued, his voice forcibly light. “Assuming I will be in charge of catering for the ceremony, I have been trying to find something suitable.”

Noct’s skin prickled, and he stretched his arm out as he massaged at his shoulder. “Dunno,” he answered, trying to keep his voice casual. “We don’t really talk about food, except for the pastries.”

One of Ignis’ eyebrows lifted and he lowered the book. “The ones I make you?” he asked.

Noct tensed. Ignis was privy to most of the content in his communication with Luna, but he had always kept discussions of the dessert a secret. “Uh… yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck as he took a seat on his bed, back facing his advisor.

“You didn’t mentioned that before,” Ignis continued.

“Huh. Thought I did,” Noct lied.

“You never thought to ask for the recipe?”

Noct bit his lip. He’d never been tremendously successful at lying to Ignis. His advisor, as per his station, knew his tells. “Nope,” he tried.

“Noct.”

The prince sighed and glanced over his shoulder. Ignis had sat up on the bed and was facing him. “She offered to give it to me the first time I mentioned it,” he admitted.

“And you declined?”

“Yeah.”

“May I ask why?”

Noct directed his attention back to his side of the room, forcing the _no_ that leapt to the back of his teeth away, and instead focusing on the glass doors leading to the balcony. The sun had set and the night life of Altissia was already alive. The glow of the street lamps below flickered as people walked by or a flag blew gently in the wind. He watched the lights as he answered, “Because I liked that you would spend time with me trying to figure it out. I thought you would want to find it on your own.”

Ignis was quiet behind him and Noctis didn’t dare look at him.

“I did,” Ignis responded slowly. “I do,” he corrected. “Thank you, Noct.”

Noct made a noise of acknowledgement in the back of his throat, turning to lay on the bed, still keeping his back towards Ignis. “I’m beat. It’s bedtime,” he changed the subject, shuffling under the sheets and nestling his head into the pillow deliberately.

The other man didn’t say anything this time, but he did stand and remove the bag from the edge of Noct’s bed. There was a quiet shuffle around the room as Ignis gathered discarded belongings into a more organized grouping before shutting himself in the bathroom for a shower and a change into his sleepwear.

Surprisingly, Noct didn’t find himself falling asleep while Ignis readied for bed. He listened to the water of the shower and lost himself in the lights shining outside the window. Ignis was surprised as well as he was overly cautious while exiting the bathroom, only to see Noct wasn’t asleep yet. “Everything alright, Noct?” he asked, his tone guarded.

The prince hummed noncommittally and just slid further under the blankets.

Ignis didn’t press, instead choosing to prepare his bed before lying down himself and turning off the light. Neither one of them slept, Noct could hear Ignis breathing quietly and the occasional sniff that he did when he was frustrated.

“I feel I need to revise my earlier statement,” Ignis finally said.

“What?”

“You asked if I thought everything was going to be alright,” he elaborated. “I told you I didn’t know.”

“Oh. Right.”

Ignis let out a steady breath and spoke as if he were forcing the words from his mouth, “I may not know what will happen, but I want you to know that I have complete faith in you, Noct.”

Unable to form a coherent reply, Noct just ungracefully blurted, “Thanks.”

“You are quite welcome,” Ignis answered, dignified as always.

* * *

_He couldn’t breathe._

_Noct found himself submerged underwater and he could feel his breath running out. He swam furiously in the direction he thought was up, desperate to make it back to the surface and to the oxygen that was waiting._

_There was a presence beneath him. A giant serpent, sliding through the water. Watching him try to claw towards freedom, waiting for him to fail and descend into the depths. Leviathan hissed, the giant body of the creature closing in on him and he felt a sob escape his throat and water pour into his lungs. But still, panicked, he pushed towards the surface._

_Rocks – no broken buildings – began to fall into the water, crashing in and the momentum spun Noctis out of place. He went spinning, colliding with the stone walls and ricocheting into another. He could hear cries of his name, his friend’s voices, somewhere close but the sounds seemed to reverberate through the water and he couldn’t locate them. He didn’t know where to go, where to follow them to safety._

_“Noctis.” It was Luna’s voice._

_He tried to call out to her with no avail. The water filled him and he felt his head throb._

_“You’ve failed,” she whispered, sounding as if she was right in his ear. “It’s too late.”_

_No. No he couldn’t fail. If he failed then all was lost. If he failed then Prompto, Gladio, Ignis were in danger or worse. The fate of his entire world rest on his shoulders and Luna, a shining beacon of hope in the darkness, told him he had failed._

_He felt Leviathan wrap around his leg, pulling him into the depths. He could just make out the sun above the water, getting smaller as he descended. The tendrils of Leviathan moved up his leg to encase his body but he would not submit. Noctis thrashed in its hold, still fighting to free himself and to right this failure._

_“Noct!” Louder than Luna. Louder than his fears._

_Ignis._

_A warm hand gripped his arm through the cold water. He turned and saw no one. Another sob left his throat, but he could hear it this time as if there was no water to muffle his cries. The hand wrapped around him and pulled, but Leviathan held tight as it attempted to keep him in the sea. He was drowning. He was going to die here and the phantom grip on his arm couldn’t stop it._

_Noctis lashed out once more at monster, whipping his body in frantic motions to dislodge the coiled body around him. This time two hands pushed against his shoulders, halting his movements and he could hear Ignis’ voice but couldn’t identify the words. He tried to call for help but the Leviathan roared and surged forward._

_Luna appeared in front of him, floating angelically through the water, a small smile on her lips. Leviathan reared its head towards her, leaving Noct behind. The hands on his shoulders kept him back and he shot up, pushing his magic at the binds to propel himself to protect Luna._

* * *

Noct’s eyes shot open as he heard a body slam against a wall. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, drumming in his ears. His eyes darted around the room, searching for Luna until they landed on Ignis instead. His advisor was pressed against the opposite wall, breathing heavily. There were flickers of magic in the air, falling towards the floor before fading out and it took him a moment to realize what happened.

“Ignis,” Noct tried, but his voice barely came to him, more of a breath than a word. He still felt as if his lungs were full of water, his breathing rapid as if he hadn’t been able to breathe at all.

Ignis held up a hand to halt his movements when he attempted to crawl out of bed. It was a futile attempt anyways, his legs felt flimsy and his arms were barely cooperating. Ignis took a moment before pushing away from the wall. He still hadn’t steadied his breathing, but he moved to sit next to Noctis anyway.

“Are you alright?” he asked, moving one hand to Noct’s face as he studied the panicked expression.

He wasn’t sure how to answer that question. His entire body was shaking as if still trying to fight out of Leviathan’s clutches.

Ignis pursed his lips at his lack of response. His eyes wandered over Noct’s face, considering, before his attention was called toward the light of his phone on the bedside table. He leaned over to pick up his phone and Noct’s eyes darted down to the screen, trying to see what Ignis was doing. “Just need to let Gladio know there’s no cause for concern. A picture frame fell from the wall,” Ignis addressed his curiosity.

Noct took in a shuddered breath, his throat feeling dry. Ignis must have been able to hear the rasp without him speaking. “Let me get you a glass of water,” he offered as he finished the message, making to leave the bed.

“No!” Noct exclaimed. Not water. He didn’t want any more water. His exclamation scratched at his throat and sent him into a coughing fit, wracking his body. He fell back onto the bed, unable to hold himself upright as he coughed, Ignis moving immediately back to his side. Comforting hands ran over his arms as he tried to hold himself, and he turned into the touch, burying his face into Ignis’ side as the fit subsided.

The hands moved from his arms to his back as he turned onto his side. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around Ignis’ waist, hiding his face in the other’s shirt, and Ignis shushed him quietly. The advisor leaned over him carefully, running one hand over Noct’s back while expertly avoiding the scar, and pushed his fingers into Noct’s hair with the other. “I’m here,” he murmured. “It was only a dream, Noct. I’m here now.”

Ignis’ voice seemed to lull him from his panic. His breathing was almost fully steady again, a few shuttered breaths here and there, and the fog in his mind was lifting, enough for him to begin to feel self-conscious about their closeness. Still, Ignis’ fingers threading through his hair felt too good to pull away from. Instead he leaned into it, pulling Ignis further into the bed. Loyally, Ignis followed, allowing himself to be brought in completely. He adjusted to bring the sheets over top of him, then opened his arms for Noct to fall into once more.

Now on the same level, Noctis buried his face underneath Ignis’ chin. Arms were wrapped around his shoulders, and his own arms slid around Ignis’ waist. He held tightly and let his panic wane slowly, worried that once it was gone Ignis would leave him in favor for his own bed; but Noct took a deep breath, exhaling shakily, and Ignis’ arms pulled him closer, as if to shield him from whatever demons he’d faced in his dream. “I’m here,” he whispered again.

At those words, Noct fisted his fingers into Ignis shirt and hid his face against Ignis’ neck. He could feel the other man’s pulse against his skin beating rapidly. “Ignis,” he breathed, his mind unable to wrap around any other words.

It seemed to convey enough because one of Ignis’ hands threaded in his hair. “Right here, Noct,” he murmured. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t,” Noctis agreed, his lips brushing Ignis’ skin as he spoke.

Ignis’ cheek dropped to his head and Noctis could feel his breath blowing over his hair. “Would you like to tell me what happened?” he asked.

He shook his head, no desire to relive the dream. The details were getting fuzzier the longer he was awake, so he wouldn’t be able to form an accurate recount of the dream even if he’d wanted to. Instead all he said was, “Leviathan,” and left it at that.

It seemed enough for Ignis, who nodded against him. The arm around his shoulder was running soothing circles against his skin and over the back of his neck. Noctis had his face against Ignis’ skin, warm and smooth beneath his own clammy cheek and he nuzzled into him, turning his mouth to press his lips to the side of Ignis’ neck. Surprisingly, this didn’t garner a tense response from his advisor. Instead he leaned into Noct, his grip pulling him closer.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, pulling back slightly to look up at the other man.

“Of course,” Ignis replied quickly, tilting his head to stretch the muscles in his neck.

Noct squinted in the darkness of the room. The lights from the lively streets below the hotel provided the only source of color and Noct could just make out his advisor’s face in the dark. “Did I hurt you?”

Ignis gave him a quick, reassuring squeeze on his arm. “Not at all, Noct.”

Unconvinced, but sensing that continuing to pry would wield no difference in answer, he settled back down and listened to Ignis’ steady breathing, focusing on the comforting lines Ignis traced over his back. Sleep eluded him, but a tentative relaxation resumed.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“No,” Ignis answered. “There is no need for that, Noct.”

“Ignis…”

“Hush now,” he shushed, the soothing circles stopped in favor for a comforting grip. “I… should be the one apologizing to _you_ ,” Ignis said slowly, his voice just a whisper. Before Noct could reply, Ignis continued, “I insisted on separate rooms for the possibility of a space away from you.” The confession silenced any response that rested on the tip of Noct’s tongue. “It was selfish and I am deeply sorry – one of many. I should have realized that on the eve of such a battle you might need me beside you, should this happen.”

“It’s not your fault, Ignis—”

“I am not a heavy sleeper, Noct,” Ignis pressed. “Under usual circumstances I can sense your movements and pull you from your nightmare before it worsens.”

“That’s not your responsibility—”

“Yes but I’ve taken it as such,” Ignis cut him off abruptly, his tone serious and unwavering. “And gladly so. Because you are not just the prince to me, Noct. You _are_ more than my responsibility.”

It was the answer to the question posed the day prior and it made all coherent thought flee from Noct’s immediate process. The silence that filled the room was stifling. It felt like an expanding bubble that was pressing down on them, pushing them further into the mattress before it swallowed them whole – but if it was popped then it was a mystery what would come out. And together, they suffocated under that shroud of silence. It was only half a confirmation of Prompto’s inane theory but even still, Noct’s heart stuttered and all at once he became acutely aware of every place that his body touched Ignis’. The patterns that his advisor had been tracing over his back had stopped, instead that hand gripped him by the shoulder like a lifeline.

“Not only that,” Ignis finally continued and all the tension found its way into every muscle Noct had. “I have handled the past few days very poorly. But most of all yesterday, I gave you reason to doubt how much you mean to me and, in doing that, I failed my duty to you as my prince – but moreover as my friend. That cannot abide.”

“Ignis, it’s okay,” Noct answered quietly, keeping his eyes trained on the neckline of Ignis’ shirt.

The hold around his shoulders tightened just so. “I disagree,” Ignis insisted. “I never want to give you reason to believe you are not of the upmost importance.” Unable to stand it anymore, Noctis pushed himself up from the bed to look at Ignis, but the other man had his eyes averted as he spoke to the darkness, “You are more than your title to me, Noct. It may be why we came into one another’s lives, but it is certainly not why I stayed.”

“Then why wouldn’t you talk to me?” Noct asked, unable to stop himself, following Ignis’ gaze to the wall across the room. “Why won’t you look at me now?”

There was long pause and it made his arms feel heavy as he waited for an answer to a question that Ignis couldn’t dodge. “Because you are still the prince,” Ignis finally said and it made Noct deflate before the words had even fully left him, falling onto the bed once more, his back down as he faced the ceiling.

“And the things that I feel for you are…”

That statement hung in the air between them. Noct could almost see it written across the ceiling in the grains of his vision that danced across the dark room. The quiet sucked the air from the room and he felt like he would float away at any moment only to realize that this was just a dream and Ignis was still sleeping across the room from him.

“You…” The words couldn’t form completely and he lay there silently moving his mouth like an idiot.

“I am in love with you, Noct.”

There was a beat, Noctis’ expression unchanged as those words washed over him. He didn’t fully comprehend what Ignis had just revealed and just dumbly said, “Head over.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s… what Prompto said,” Noct clarified slowly. “He said you were head over.”

“Ah.”

“I told him he should stop leaving out the ‘heels’ part.”

“Agreed.”

Yet another silence enveloped the room as they both laid on their backs, eyes trained on the ceiling. Noct had a million questions but no coherent thoughts to form them with. All of his worries from the past few days felt a distant memory and he was mostly wondering how he could be so _stupid_ not to have noticed. Was he really so self-centered as to miss something like this? Ignis had always just been _Ignis_. He wasn’t unaware of all the things Ignis did for him – sometimes he’d felt too aware of it, though clearly it hadn’t even been half of it.

Regardless, Ignis was just Ignis to him – Iggy, Specs, Speccy if he was feeling particularly cheeky. The one person that had always been there for Noct as far back as he could remember. Ignis hadn’t always been in the crown’s employ, there was a time in their early childhood that they’d been friends before all else. Ignis was the uptight, tall, lanky kid that would watch over Noctis. He vaguely remembered asking once why a kid would need to babysit a kid as Ignis was a mere two years older. Eventually he’d coaxed Ignis into playing with him.

“How long?”

“Years.”

“Is this a joke?”

“No.”

Of course it wasn’t a joke. Ignis had always been serious, especially where it mattered. Prompto cracked jokes to ease tension, but that wasn’t Ignis’ style and it never had been. Which wasn’t to say he lacked a sense of humor or wasn’t funny himself. He knew the time and place for a joke and when to switch on his role of advisor. In their group he was the strength. He’d been trained on how to keep calm in all situations, what and what not to do. While Gladio carried the physical strength, Ignis maintained a non-physical strength – the one that kept the group going instead of running in blind.

Speaking of running in blind…

Noct sat up abruptly and leaned over Ignis. Finally his advisor was looking at him and the small crease between his brows betrayed his nervousness and his eyes flitted between Noct’s, searching. His shoulders were tense and drawn halfway up his neck as if he were prepared to bolt should the need arise.

Ignis’ eyes wandered briefly over Noct’s mouth and as soon as his gaze moved back to look the prince in the eye, Noct leaned forward to press their lips together.

It was still, more of lips over lips than an actual kiss. Ignis didn’t press back, nor did he resist, but his lips did form to Noct’s. His arms stayed in place holding Noctis while the prince moved one of his hands to rest over Ignis’ shoulder while the other held him upright. It wasn’t like the movies where a sudden passion erupts after all this time and suddenly they were tumbling in bed and taking off their clothes. It was careful, tentative and slow.

Noct retreated first, relieved when Ignis opened his eyes this time. He searched Ignis’ face, trying to properly calculate his expression when – _oh_.

The crease between Ignis’ brow was gone and there was a faint smile on his lips. His eyes were shining as they darted across Noct’s face – not just his lips, but his cheek, jaw, nose, everywhere. Ignis laid beneath him, drinking in the sight of his face and one of his hands was slowly moving over Noct’s arm then over his shoulder. The hand rested on his collar, fingers lightly trailing over the side of his neck in a way that made him shiver, Ignis’ thumb angling up to trace his jawline. It was the softest Noct had ever seen Ignis and it made his skin tingle and his heart leap.

But Noct _saw_ it. He saw what Prompto could see now.

_Like you’re the most important thing in the world?_

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, so quietly he thought Ignis might not hear.

Ignis let out a breath of a laugh and shook his head. “It’s highly inappropriate,” he sighed. “I shouldn’t have told you now.”

“I’m glad you did,” Noct told him, lowering his chin to prop it on Ignis’ chest. Ignis carded his fingers through Noct’s hair and chuckled again, making Noct smile back.

“Yes well,” Ignis said evasively.

“So…” Noct darted his eyes away, throwing his arm over Ignis waist and playing with the side of his shirt. “What was with you avoiding me all week? If this is how you feel and I kissed you and kept asking…”

Ignis pulled his face back so they could look each other in the eye. “I am your advisor, Noct. That was and this is a moment of weakness.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means this cannot continue. You realize I can never be more than your friend and advisor?” Ignis’ fingers found their way back through his hair and it was distracting. “When the sun rises, we must pretend as if this never happened.”

Noct shook his head and pushed himself up over Ignis. “No.”

“Noct—”

“ _Ignis_ ,” Noctis interrupted with the same tone.

“We started this journey to take you to your _wedding_ ,” Ignis pushed. “In two days you will be reunited with Lunafreya and quite possibly after there will be—”

“I don’t want to marry Luna.”

Ignis eyebrows shot up and his lips downturned slightly. “Is that so? And when did you decide this?”

“I—” Noct hesitated. “I don’t know, I’ve been thinking about it since—”

Ignis sat up, stopping Noct from continuing. He put his hands calmly on the prince’s shoulders and looked him dead on. “This changes nothing, Noct. You and I both have a duty to fulfill. Your father entrusted you to my care and I intend to keep that promise.”

“I’m not proposing to you, Ignis,” Noct rolled his eyes and put his hands on Ignis’ outstretched forearms.

“I certainly hope not,” the advisor smiled, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

“But I know I… feel something for you…” he continued awkwardly, looking away from the attentive, gorgeous green eyes. “And I’m not going to pretend like I don’t.”

“Noct…”

It was the sighed way Ignis said his name when Noctis was being stubborn. He’d heard it a million times before, mostly when he picked vegetables off his meal or tried refusing the third part of a three piece suit. But this one stung. Noct wasn’t just doing this to be difficult or because he didn’t want to compromise. If Ignis hadn’t admitted his own suppressed feelings – _years_ in the making – he wouldn’t be so insistent. This was for Ignis just as much, if not more, than himself. He wanted Ignis to be happy.

Instead of trying to find a way to put his thoughts into words, Noct just moved forward again to push his lips to Ignis’. It earned him a surprised noise in the back of Ignis’ throat, but this time Noctis pressed forward, sliding his hands up Ignis’ arms to wrap around his shoulders. He moved his lips against Ignis’ and for a few moments he didn’t think he would get a response. Then slowly Ignis opened up, his lips pressing back as his hands took Noct by the waist and pulled him into his lap. It was an awkward adjustment as Noct put his knees on either side of Ignis’ thighs, but he didn’t have time to feel embarrassed because Ignis’ tongue was trailing over his bottom lip.

This was what it was like to properly kiss Ignis.

And it felt _good_.

Noct had only ever kissed three other people.

The first was when he was fourteen. A girl at his school had a birthday party and, wanting to impress his new friend, he went with Prompto. Her parents left them all to their own devices and, since it was a party full of barely teenagers, they’d played a highly mature game of spin the bottle. The girl’s best friend’s spin landed on Noct and everyone around the room giggled because she was going to get to kiss the _prince_. It was the equivalent to a peck on the cheek, but Noct did it. His faced had heated up from embarrassment as everyone stared and continued giggling, so he excused himself from the game and ducked out of the party early after sending a newly-licensed Ignis a quick text.

The second was the girl he took to prom at eighteen. Prompto had managed enough courage to ask a girl in class that he liked, and she set up a double date. Prompto snuck off with her halfway through the dance to make out in one of the off-limit science labs. The girl Noct took had been nice to look at – pretty black hair, soft, brown skin and dark blue eyes – and even he could tell that she was interested despite his usual lack of awareness in those matters. So when she took his hand and led the way in the direction Prompto and his date went, he didn’t resist. She could tell he was nervous so it didn’t go anywhere other than kissing. She’d gotten him to put his hands on her chest, but it felt weird to hold her breasts while she stuck her tongue down his throat, so he’d switched to awkwardly rest his hands on her hips.

The third was recent and was actually Prompto. It was when Prompto told him he liked guys. _Well I mean girls too, but also guys… Both?_ The blond had been so worried that Noct would care, which baffled him. It wasn’t anything that Noctis had ever thought about in a bad way – hardly at all if he was being honest. Then Prompto revealed that he’d had a crush on Noctis for a while, though he’d never expected anything to come from it and they were such good friends now that he didn’t think about Noctis that way anymore. Noct had laughed uncomfortably and told him he’d toyed with the idea of having a crush on Prompto too, and for the same reasons he’d moved on. It had turned into an awkward banter about how they were both ‘insulted’ to have been gotten over so quickly. Prompto had joked with something about the prince’s good looks or lack thereof and Noct said something snide back about Prompto’s seduction skill which resulted in his friend kissing him to prove a point.

But this was unlike any of those times. Ignis’ teeth scraped over his bottom lip before trailing down his jaw to his neck and – _god_ where had he learned to _do_ this? Noct tilted his head back and bit down on the inside of his cheek to stop a moan from spilling past his lips. He gripped at Ignis’ shoulders as his advisor worshipped his neck with his lips, teeth, and tongue. If this was a moment of weakness, something Noct managed to pull out of him with his stubbornness, he was dying to see what it would be like if Ignis gave in without hesitation.

Unable to stand it, Noct slid his hands to Ignis’ neck to tilt his head back up so he could reconnect their lips. Ignis obliged and started to lay back down, helping Noct readjust less awkwardly this time before his hands found the prince’s hips again. Noct let himself rest fully on Ignis, their chests together and his arms still wrapped around Ignis’ neck to pull them close. Four days of thinking about being able to kiss Ignis again spurred him onward, despite a lack of much experience.

Ignis seemed to know what he was doing, however, and it made Noct dizzy with _want_. He hadn’t realized he was pushing himself impossibly close until those hands made their way to his chest to push him back. “Noct,” Ignis murmured, tilting his forehead against Noctis as he tried to catch his breath.

“Sorry,” he breathed out, loosening his locked arms from around Ignis’ neck.

“That isn’t necessary,” Ignis shook his head, eyes closed. His hands settled gently on Noct’s shoulders. “But if you don’t stop now I’ll kiss you for the rest of the night.”

“And if I want you to?”

Ignis smiled, his fingers moving to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Then you’ll complain all day about how tired you are.”

“I’m going to do that anyway,” Noct countered.

“Even so.”

Sighing, Noct rolled onto his side, curled against Ignis. An arm found its way around his shoulders and Noct slung his own across Ignis’ stomach, resting his head on Ignis’ shoulder. “Where’d you learn to kiss like that?” Noct asked, his voice slightly muffled as he pressed into Ignis’ shirt.

The other man chuckled, leaning his head against Noct’s. “If you recall, I did go to university.”

Noct’s eyebrows shot up. “Were you a stud?”

Ignis snorted. “Hardly.”

“How many girlfriends have you had?” he asked, then quickly added, “And why didn’t I know about any of them?”

A beat. “Boyfriends,” Ignis corrected.

_Oh_.

That prompted Noctis to sit back up on his elbow, looking down at him. “You didn’t tell me.”

Ignis shook his head. “No, I didn’t.” His lips pursed and he looked past Noct to the ceiling. “I thought it better you didn’t know. Once Gladio knew, it didn’t take him long to piece together the way I felt about you.”

“So how many?”

Ignis took a breath, contemplating, as he pulled Noct back down beside him. His free hand trailed light lines over the one Noct had over him while the other twisted gently in his hair. “Only two that ever called themselves such,” he answered.

The prince smirked and nudged Ignis’ shoulder with his nose. “And more that only came around sometimes?”

Ignis didn’t reply to that. “The relationships didn’t last very long.”

“Why?”

“I was too dedicated to my position,” Ignis answered, keeping his voice casual. “They wanted me to spare time that I simply did not have. Or rather,” he mused, a smile ghosting over his lips, “time I was unwilling to give to _them_.”

Noct considered Ignis’ words. “So because of me?”

“If you prefer.”

“Ignis.”

“It was hardly fair for me to pretend to feel things for them that I did not,” Ignis continued. “I tried – desperately – to let go of my feelings for you. I failed each time.”

_All I’m saying is that he’s not interested in me. He doesn’t have time for that._

“Was Gladio one of them?” Noct blurted.

Ignis sighed and Noctis could hear the eye roll without seeing it. “No, Noct. He was not.” A pause. “Though he did ask.”

“What?”

A short laugh. “When I was nineteen he asked me to dinner. I declined.”

“Why?”

The hand around him squeezed his arm briefly. “As I told you, I’ve never desired anything more than friendship with Gladio. He does tell me my life would be easier had I fallen for him instead.”

Noctis frowned and grumbled into Ignis’ shoulder, tightening his hold around his waist, but refrained from saying something ridiculous like _you’re mine_ or _he can’t have you_. Instead he asked, “Do you wish you hadn’t…?”

Silence followed and Ignis continued to run his fingers over Noct’s skin. “I don’t think about it that way,” he replied honestly. “I cannot _un_ -know you therefore… but if what you mean to ask is if I am unhappy, the answer is no.” His head twisted and his lips pressed to Noct’s forehead. “I would rather have you in my life than be without.”

Noctis couldn’t help the embarrassed smile that found its way to his features, so he stretched up to Ignis and kissed him solidly on the mouth. “And not just because I’m the prince?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow challengingly.

Ignis smirked at him and shook his head in amusement. “And not just because you’re the prince,” he confirmed.

They sat together, arms wrapped around one another, in a contented silence. Ignis leaned his head to Noct’s, taking deep breaths through his nose, and Noctis hid half his face in Ignis’ shirt. The way Ignis ran his hands over his arms and teased at his hair made his skin tingle in the best way, and Noct chastised himself inwardly once again for not noticing the way Ignis felt sooner. They could have more than just one night – he’s fairly confident he would have been able to coerce Ignis into it given the way things went tonight.

Noctis thinks back to all the times he could remember where Ignis went past his duty to help him. All the pastries, breakfast in bed when he was sick, picking him up from events he didn’t want to go to, attending formal gatherings at the Citadel by his side, helping him pick out the right clothing, watching movies after his time with Noct had drawn to an official close – the list could go on for days. He’d always known that he would never be able to fully understand or appreciate everything Ignis did for him, but now the guilt weighs even heavier.

First to break the quiet of the room was Ignis. “Noct…” he started tentatively, his hands stilled. “I said this before but I’m afraid it bears to be repeated.”

Knowing where this was going, Noct tried, “Ignis—”

“Tomorrow morning—”

“Ignis—”

“—things must be as they were—”

“ _Ignis_ ,” Noct stopped him, putting a hand flat on his chest. Thankfully, Ignis obliged and pressed his lips closed, the guarded expression back on his face when Noctis looked at him. “Can we please not talk about it right now?”

“I need you to understand—”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Shut _up_ , I get it. Just… right now… can I just _be_ with you?”

Ignis’ lips parted and his eyes softened immediately, darting across his face as if he were at war with himself. When one side won, Ignis pulled him in for a soft kiss that made Noct’s stomach fill with butterflies. “Very well,” he agreed.

Noctis was very much prepared to argue with Ignis in the morning, but that could wait for now in favor of more kissing. Ignis let it continue for a long time; only when Noct got more heated and pushed a hand up under Ignis’ shirt did he put a stop to it.

Tonight, Noct fell asleep first, listening to the sounds of Ignis breathing in his ear and the touch of Ignis’ hands lingering on his skin. He didn’t have another nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Want to read Gladio and Ignis' conversation during dinner? ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11315421)
> 
> As I said before: I am so sorry! It has been MONTHS. I said this at the end of the last chapter and it stands true still. Some bad stuff happened and I was left without much time to write or too drained to make an attempt when I did have time to spare. I've felt more inspired recently on top of having time to spare, so I've been able to finish this chapter that gave me an insane amount of trouble.
> 
> There's one chapter left after this one! It won't be nearly as long as this one and then there will be more to come from this story later in the year (aka after Episode Ignis is released and I finally find out what happened to the best boy).
> 
> And a HUGE thank you to my beta reader, Nebou! Best beta reader ever. Always has great advice and critiques, on top of always having a kind word. You're too nice to me, thank you so much!
> 
> [inspiration track ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWlKZ6C7cDY)  
> [tumblr ](http://chocobroz.tumblr.com/)  
> Thank you for reading!


	5. darling, you're with me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You don’t have to be responsible all the time, Specs,” he insisted. “Can’t we just pretend? Just for today."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry. It's finally here, all the way down to the wire, but it's here! Enjoy!

When Noctis woke up, he was hesitant to open his eyes. Usually this was typical, but today it had everything to do with the body that was still pressed against him and the arms that were wrapped around him. He took a deep breath through his nose and nuzzled against the chest his head rested on, then opened his eyes.

“Morning,” Ignis said smugly, raising an eyebrow at him.

Noct blinked blearily up at him and licked his lips as he glanced over his shoulder at the window. The sun rising had turned the sheer, white curtains to a reddish orange and the night life sounds of Altissia had faded to the serene morning. “What time is it?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

“Half past seven.”

The prince groaned and dropped back to Ignis’s chest. “Too early,” he muttered.

Outside the window there was bird chirping. Any other morning, Noct would’ve rolled to the edge of the bed and chucked a shoe at the window. Today, it just sounded peaceful. He shifted his head up, face buried in the crook of Ignis’s neck.

Ignis merely hummed and adjusted the way his arms were set around Noct’s shoulders, dropping a hand to run along his side. It sent goosebumps up Noct’s neck and he subtly arched into the touch. “Your meeting with the secretary is in two hours.”

He didn’t acknowledge that, perfectly content where he was until his still sleepy mind caught up with the moment. “Then why are _you_ still in bed?” he asked, keeping his head in place, hyperaware of the way his lips brushed across Ignis’s skin as he spoke.

There wasn’t an immediate reply. Ignis continued trailing over his side and he tilted his head to lean down against Noct’s. “I reasoned that this could still last as long as we stayed here,” he finally answered.

It was too early for Noctis to have this discussion. Ignis’s thoughts were still on when whatever this was had to end, even if Noct had decided against that. Instead moved his hands to settle on either side of Ignis’s neck as he lifted himself to look at his advisor in the eye. Ignis looked really _beautiful_ with the sun peeking through the curtains – eyes a deep green, and skin washed in the light of the morning. He smiled and leaned forward, letting Ignis be the one to close the distance between their lips – he wasn’t disappointed.

Briefly, Noct had thought there was no way the kiss from last night could ever be beaten.

He was wrong.

It seems every kiss with Ignis only got better – only meant more. All it took was for one tilt of the head and Ignis opening his mouth invitingly for Noct to lose all conscious thought. Tentatively, he pushed his tongue forward, running it along Ignis’s bottom lip the same way it had been done to him the night before. Ignis tasted like morning breath, but he must too so it didn’t quite bother him. It was difficult for _anything_ to bother him with the way Ignis’s fingers were tracing lines over his hips, brushing over skin where his shirt had hiked up during sleep.

Carefully, Noct rolled fully on top of Ignis. His movements were slow, like one wrong choice and Ignis would end this before it got anywhere. A plan was forming in his head even through the haze of desire he felt coursing through him as they kissed. Ignis had to be in the same mind frame that he was when he attempted to convince his advisor to continue. Luckily, Ignis adapted to the prince’s new position. His hands took hold of Noct’s waist before moving one to the small of his back. Ignis sighed contentedly into Noctis’s mouth when fingers twisted in his hair to pull him closer.

Noctis wanted to experiment a bit and tried to imitate the way Ignis had kissed his jaw. He trailed his lips down Ignis’s cheek to the corner of his jaw, and he could feel Ignis smiling. He dipped his head back to let Noct explore further, darting his tongue out to taste Ignis’s skin. The kisses continued down his advisor’s neck and he scraped his teeth over the skin there, earning him a pleased sigh from Ignis. He remembered the way his prom date had sucked on his neck, leaving him with a hickey that had made Prompto keel over with laughter. Ignis hissed with Noct bit down on him, grip tightening over Noct’s waist.

“Noct—” he gritted out, pulling away.

“Sorry,” Noct muttered, backing off.

Ignis’s eyes softened and his grimace quickly turned into a light smile. “It’s alright,” he assured him with a light shake of his head. “I’m just not certain marking me is a good idea.”

The prince’s eyebrow lifted and he smirked, saying, “Why’s that?” Ignis tightened his lips and glared halfheartedly at him in answer. “Don’t want everyone to know you’re mine?” he continued, boldly, leaning forward to nudge his nose against Ignis’s temple so the other man couldn’t see his cheeks turn pink.

Ignis’s breath caught in his throat and Noct could feel his fingers curl into his shirt. “Noct,” he chastised.

“Hm?” Noct hummed, reversing Ignis’s move from the night before and kissing up his jaw. “Not mine, Ignis?”

“Of course. Always,” he breathed, tilting his head into Noctis.

Now. Right now.

Abruptly, the prince leaned back, leaving Ignis dazed. “Then this doesn’t have to end,” he said. Ignis’s brow drew in as he processed Noct’s words. But Noct persisted, “We can get out of bed and just… keep going. Together.”

The frown returned, though this time it wasn’t halfhearted. It was just… sad. “Noct you _know_ —”

“You don’t have to be responsible _all_ the time, Specs,” he insisted. “Can’t we just pretend? Just for today. Tomorrow you can go back to only being my advisor.”

Ignis hesitated and Noct took the opportunity, pressing their lips together again. He tilted his head this time, opening his mouth to invite Ignis to take the lead. It took a few moments for Ignis to catch up, but Noct could feel his self-control waning as he responded positively to the advances. He sighed into Noct’s mouth and pushed back, kissing him with fervor, one hand sliding up the length of the prince’s body to card fingers into the hair on the back of his head.

“It’s a bad idea,” he sighed when Noct experimented with kissing Ignis elsewhere, lips attaching to the advisor’s neck.

“Agree to disagree,” Noct murmured.

He could feel Ignis’s throat move as he swallowed. The hand slid from his hair to rest on his shoulder, pushing him back slightly. This time Noct obliged and looked up at the other man, raising his eyebrow. Ignis smiled at him and shook his head in mild amusement. “Fine,” he agreed. “Though I do have a condition.”

“Okay,” Noct said slowly, sitting up, thighs straddling Ignis’s waist.

“Don’t tell Gladio and Prompto.”

The prince made a face. “Why?”

Ignis frowned and sat up to eye level, moving Noct to sit next to him. “It isn’t something I want to have to explain,” he replied. “Gladio knows… how I feel about you.”

“So?” Noct interrupted with a shrug. “Prompto knows I how I feel.”

One of Ignis’s eyebrows lifted, but he didn’t ask for further explanation. “I’m not sure he would approve and I’d rather not spend the day under his watchful eye,” he continued.

Scooting closer, Noct put his hands on Ignis’s arms. His eyes tracked the wrinkles in Ignis’s shirt from where he’d had a grip on the fabric during the night. “Why wouldn’t he approve?” he asked, not looking at Ignis’s face.

The advisor responded to the touches with his own. As Noct’s hands trailed over his arms, he captured one with his own hand and toyed with Noct’s fingers before entwining them. “Because he knows how I feel about you,” he repeated. “And he’ll know that if I spend one day with you, I’ll want more.” He pressed his lips to the top of the prince’s hand, making Noct’s heart jump into his throat.

“That’s kind of the idea, Specs.”

Ignis smiled and looked up to connect their eyes. “A discussion for later,” he replied with a smile. “If you’re mine for the day, I’d like to enjoy it instead of explaining it to the others.” When Noct leaned forward to press their lips together, Ignis withdrew but stayed teasingly close. “That’s my condition,” he breathed, lips brushing lightly over Noct’s. “Do you agree?”

Impatiently, Noct nodded, then closed the distance. He wrapped arms tightly around Ignis’s shoulders to pull him closer. Ignis chuckled against his lips then put his own arms around Noct’s middle, bringing him forward to press their chests together. He pushed his lips solidly against Noctis’s, eliciting a groan from the prince, then abruptly pulled away.

“Breakfast?”

Dazed, Noct blinked before moving in for another kiss. Ignis grinned and avoided him, instead pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I think breakfast,” he continued, peeling himself away from Noct.

The prince was left with unattended, parted lips, eyes following Ignis. He fell forward into the bed, lying on his stomach. “Breakfast in bed?”

The other man turned to respond but a knock on the door interrupted him. “Ignis, get Noct up so we can get _food_ ,” Prompto called from the other side. “We’re _starvi—_ ”

“Shut _up_. There are other people sleeping.”

Ignis shook his head in amusement. “Make yourself decent, Noct. Looks like it will be just breakfast.”

\- - -

The way Ignis was beaming at him as he turned around to leave the secretary to her work made him feel accomplished. He managed to keep from celebrating until they were out of the building and down the street. Quickly he spun to face his friends, resisting throwing his arms around Ignis’s neck.

“Well _done_ , Noct,” Ignis congratulated him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Not half bad,” Gladio acknowledge, slapping him once on the back. “Y’know, for you.”

“Ha ha, you’re hilarious,” Noct said sarcastically, though with a smile. “We’ve got her support and a promise to keep Luna safe. We can _end_ the empire tomorrow, guys.”

“Good job buddy,” Prompto said, stepping forward to punched Noct gently on the chest. “You’re going to get some _godly_ power tomorrow and then maybe ride into the sunset with your lady love!”

The prince shot the blond a glare. “We’ll see,” he said dodging. “I’m not stoked about having to separate though,” he grimaced.

“We’re to ensure the safety of the citizens, Noct. She was right not to bend on that,” Ignis supplied, removing his hand from Noct’s shoulder. “Once we’ve aided the evacuation, we’ll be back at your side.”

The prince’s gaze lingered on Ignis before he was being dragged away by Prompto. “C’mon, we’ve got one day left. Let’s enjoy it!”

“You mean before half of the buildings collapse when Leviathan tests Noct tomorrow?” Gladio chimed in, following.

“Shut up, negative,” Prompto shot over his shoulder. “Let’s get drinks. You want to go fishing?”

“Drinks are fine,” Noct replied, shrugging off Prompto’s hand.

They caught a gondola out to Maagho’s. It was nice, the water kept them cool from the sun and the breeze felt nice on skin. Noct closed his eyes and tried to feel just a piece of the bliss that this city brought, knowing it would be pulled apart tomorrow when Leviathan thrashed in the water and some buildings would collapse in the chaos. Prompto chatted quietly with Gladio at the back of the boat and Ignis sat across from him, his back to their friends. He smiled subtly at the prince, reaching across to grasp his hand for a moment.

“You did well today,” he told him. “I’m proud of you.”

Warmth spread across Noct’s chest and he ducked his head in embarrassment. “I… thanks.”

Ignis winked as he withdrew his hand. “Of course.”

When they got to the bar, Gladio and Ignis parted with them to get a table as Prompto and Noctis went to order the drinks. Weskham greeted them warmly, offering the first round on the house when they recounted the meeting with Claustra. Prompto ordered the lasagna for the table, shrugging when the prince looked at him.

“What? It’s massive enough to feed all of us, plus we’re _celebrating_.”

Noct lifted his hands in surrender and turned his back to the bar, leaning against it as his eyes sought after Ignis and Gladio. They were at a table close to the pier, likely so he could break away should he want to fish. But he had a different idea. Fish would still be there after tomorrow, but Ignis was his for the day and they hadn’t been alone since that morning.

“So, what happened with you and Ignis?”

Prompto’s voice brought him from his plotting and his brow lifted as he glanced at his friend. “We worked it out,” he answered simply.

“And that’s that?” The blond straightened, deadpanning him. “After all your pining, you’re just over him?”

“ _Pining_? No.”

“Dude, you had the biggest puppy-dog eyes I’ve ever seen. You have it bad for the guy.”

“I told you I didn’t know if I had anything to begin with.”

“So now you know?”

Noct pursed his lips and looked away, garnering a knowing chuckle from Prompto. “Shut up,” he shot back. “We had to work it out. We did and everything’s good now.”

“Good how you wanted it to be good?”

A shrug. “I guess.” It wasn’t a lie. It _was_ good. _Really_ good. He felt hot under the collar as he watched Ignis’s profile from his place at the bar. The upward twitch of his lips as he spoke with Gladio had him itching to have those same lips back on his skin. But it wasn’t permanent – at least not yet.

“What about you and Gladio?” he asked, turning back towards the bar.

Prompto looked down at his hands and smiled. “We’re good.”

“Like you said yesterday, this place _is_ romantic.”

The blond nodded and looked over at him. “Yeah, wish we had more time here.”

Seizing the opportunity, Noct replied, “Well why don’t you two take the night? Have a date, just you and him.”

Prompto made a face. “But what about you and Ignis?”

“I told you we worked it out. We’ll be fine – I’ll probably just go back to the hotel and sleep.”

“In the middle of the day— actually, nevermind, it’s you. You’ll need a _lot_ of beauty rest to impress Leviathan tomorrow,” Prompt acknowledge with a smirk. He glanced over his shoulder at Gladio and pursed his lips. “You think he’d go for it?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Noct laughed, and nudged Prompto’s shoulder.

“It’s not a bad idea,” Prompto agreed, watching Weskham begin setting their drinks down. “We haven’t actually gotten to go on a date yet.” He hesitated, fiddling with his bracelet. “You’re sure you and Ignis won’t bite each other’s heads off?”

“ _Yes_ , Prompto.”

The blond picked up his and Gladio’s drinks, nodding resolutely. “Then okay. After drinks, I’ll see if he wants to paint the town red!”

“Just make sure to be _quiet_ when you get back to your hotel room,” Noct told him, following with the other drinks. “Our room is right next to yours.”

 Gladio poked Prompto’s reddened cheek when they got back to the table. “Are you that much of a lightweight?” he chuckled.

Noct handed over Ignis’s wine, intentionally letting their fingers brush as the glass was passed between them. The advisor only gave himself away with a small lift of a brow, turning his attention to the couple across the table where Prompto was telling Gladio to shut up.

The lasagna arrived shortly after, to enthusiastic praise from Gladio, who dug right in. The four of them shared the food, Ignis going for a second round of drinks when the first ran dry. While Prompto and Gladio were distracted, speaking to one another quietly, Noct took the moment to watch Ignis at the bar. He leaned against it, an easy smile gracing his lips as he made conversation with Weskham, sipping at the remnants of his wine before it was replaced with a fresh glass.

Noctis couldn’t figure how he’d never really _noticed_ Ignis before. He was thin and muscular, his torso long and temptingly lean – the kind of temptation that made Noct want to push hands under the leopard print shirt and feel the muscle at his core. His legs were long too, graceful as they crossed at the ankles. The sleeves of his button down were rolled to the elbows, gloves covered his hands, and Noct found himself daydreaming of pulling the fabric from Ignis’s fingers.

The advisor’s eyes landed on him mid-fantasy and Noctis felt his cheeks warm. But Ignis only smiled and dipped his head toward the bar, a clear indication to join him. The prince kept his eyes on the other man, distantly saying, “I’m going to help Ignis with the drinks,” as he stood to make his way to the bar.

“Couldn’t get these on my own,” Ignis told him as he walked up. He thanked Weskham as his wine was topped off once more, handing over Noct’s drink along with Prompto’s.

“Never seen you drunk before,” Noct grinned, stepping to the side to let Ignis lead the way back.

“And you won’t tonight, either,” Ignis informed him over the shoulder, his lip quirking upwards.

“Shame.”

Gladio and Prompto were leaning into each other when they got back. Ignis leaned across the table, setting Gladio’s drink in front of him saying, “Really you two, do get a room.”

The shield chuckled, picking up his drink with one hand while the other arm draped across Prompto’s shoulders. “Actually yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

Prompto accepted his from Noct while he reciprocated Gladio, arm snaking around his waist. “Would you guys be able to bear being apart from us though?” he asked with mock worry.

Ignis lifted a brow at them. “I think we could manage,” he nodded, glancing at the prince who took a sip of his drink, hiding behind the glass. “What will you do with the rest of your day?”

“Start at the Arena?” Prompto suggested, looking up to Gladio. “Maybe get some snacks?”

“You just had half a lasagna,” Noct pointed out.

“ _Yeah_ , and I’m going to work up a sweat walking from here to the Arena,” Prompto fired back, grinning. “Don’t judge me.”

They finished their drinks, a friendly banter going where Noct made fun of Prompto’s food habits and Prompto made fun of Noct’s sleeping habits. Alcohol lowering their inhibitions, Prompto and Gladio touched far more, grinning openly at each other and at one point Gladio lowered a kiss to Prompto’s temple. It made Noct itchy to touch Ignis, to treat this like some kind of double date as if they were still in high school. He snuck a few glances at Ignis throughout, the advisor always catching his eye with a raised brow and a quirk of the lips – lips that probably tasted like the red wine he was drinking.

After one additional round of drinks, the couple decided it was time to depart. The sun was lower in the sky, the time closer to dinner rather than lunch now, and both seemed eager to be alone.

Prompto and Gladio climbed into a gondola, throwing waves at their friends still at the table. Ignis watched them go, a smile creeping onto his lips as he ran his finger around the base of his wine glass. Now away from the eyes of the other two, Noct watched Ignis openly, waiting for the advisor’s response.

“I take it this was your doing?”

“You take right.”

“Hm,” he considered, taking another sip of his wine. Noct ran his tongue over the backside of his teeth as he watched Ignis swallow before watching his lips part to speak. “Then I suppose we ought to find a way to occupy ourselves.”

“Suppose so.”

Ignis lifted an eyebrow as his eyes cast over to Noct, but he didn’t reply. Instead he finished his wine, looking down at the glass, waiting.

Noctis took a deep breath, boldly continuing, “I guess it depends on whether or not you’re still my boyfriend for the day.”

A short laugh. “Boyfriend, now?”

“Wasn’t that the deal? Mine for the day?”

“And you’ve seen fit to label me as your boyfriend?” Ignis asked, propping his chin on long fingers. His tone was good-natured and a smirk played across his lips.

Noct squinted at him, squaring his shoulders. “Isn’t that what you want?”

For a moment, Ignis didn’t move. His gaze broke from Noct’s, unable to hold eye contact and he turned his empty wine glass on the table slowly, fingers stepping delicately across the glass. “At the risk of sounding cliché,” he said quietly. “I want much more than that.”

Quickly, Noct moved to his side. “You have it, Specs.”

A sigh passed through Ignis’s lips and he pushed his glasses up his nose. “Noct,” he started. He faltered, daring a glance at the prince, as if waiting for him to interrupt. When it didn’t come, he wet his lips slowly, looking out past the bar to the water lapping against the docks. “I want to keep my word, truly. Perhaps I have overcompensated because I’m lacking a degree of comfort.”

Instantly, the prince thought of the worst. Now that Ignis had him, he must be realizing that he didn’t _want_ him – that Noctis was just a fantasy that he’s had for so long that the real thing didn’t live up to it. Of course, Ignis’s _idea_ of him was better than the _real_ him, how could he have ever matched?

Still, he didn’t interrupt, though a frown spread across his face and he couldn’t look at his advisor.

“I… I have _wanted_ this, but I knew I could never have it. I’m trying to unlearn some of my habits – distance and the like.” His fingers fiddled with the strap of his glove. “But I can’t _forget_ them.”

“Do you…” Noct bit his tongue to keep from saying _do you not like me anymore_ because it sounded too needy in his head. “Ignis, if you don’t want to – I mean, if you _really_ don’t want to – we don’t…” He sighed, sucking his bottom lips between his teeth. He didn’t want Ignis to be uncomfortable, or force himself to do anything he didn’t want to do. Even if Ignis had come to the realization that what he’d felt was just an infatuation, not actual, real _love_ , he knew the other man cared about him. A lot. It was possible that he was just stepping carefully around saying, _Noct, I don’t want you_. This was his way out.

“Noct, you didn’t force me to say yes.”

“Well I didn’t take no for an answer.”

“If I didn’t—” Ignis brought his hand up to touch him, then thought better of it, glancing at the bar where Weskham was still pouring drinks. He settled for adjusting his glasses, pressing his fingers to his lips. Noctis could see him searching for the words before his hand dropped to Noct’s upper arm, merely a friendly gesture to anyone who could be watching. “If I didn’t want this, I would have told you no.”

“You said it was a bad idea.”

Ignis laughed humorously. “That’s because it _is_.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Of _course_ , it’s a bad idea, Noct,” Ignis replied, removing his grip on Noct’s arm. “I’ve been in love with you for _years_ and now, the day before you are to meet your betrothed, I’m agreeing to… to what? To being your boyfriend for a _day_?” He chuckled, this time in a self-deprecating way. “I am a fool to think I have the self-restraint.”

“I told you that I don’t want to marry Luna.”

“Please don’t say that to me,” Ignis sighed. “I’ll start doodling Mr. Ignis Caelum on my notebook.”

Noct blinked and then burst out laughing. He felt lighter now and he bent over the table as he laughed. His fingers curled around Ignis’s arm, holding him for support. “You’re _such_ an idiot,” he laughed, looking up to see _that_ smile on the other man’s face. The one that made a thousand butterflies come alive in Noct’s stomach. The one Prompto referred to when he’d said that Ignis was ‘head over’. The one that made him know that Ignis’s feelings were _real_ , not fleeting, not imagined – that the advisor was worrying about _how_ real they were, not how to break the news that they _weren’t_.

“A rare insult flung my way,” Ignis replied.

The prince calmed himself, still letting out a few snickers. He tightened his grip on Ignis’s arm, pulling him from the table and to the gondolas. “C’mon,” he said, waving a goodbye to Weskham as they made their way to the dock. “Let’s get back into the city where no one knows who I am.”

“And do what?” Ignis asked, letting himself be led.

“Date.”

Once safely out of Weskham’s line of sight, Noct moved closer to Ignis so that their knees were touching, best to start off small.

“So, you said you had boyfriends, right?” he asked.

Ignis nodded. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t I ever meet them?”

“You did, actually,” Ignis replied, leaning against the side of the gondola, his arms crossed over his chest. His knee didn’t move from where it was resting against Noct’s.

“What? When? _Who_?”

He chuckled. “Do you remember my friend Alric?”

Noct blinked. _Alric_ had been Ignis’s boyfriend? He paused, thinking back to the time they’d met. Alric had definitely given off an _into Ignis_ vibe, but Noct hadn’t thought anything of it because Ignis was clear that they were friends and didn’t offer anything back to Alric. It seemed like they had a similar dynamic to that of Ignis and Gladio. In disbelief, the prince looked to Ignis, giving him a puzzled look.

“We dated for about a year.”

“ _A year_?”

“Yes, Gladio was surprised as well.”

“How did I not know?”

“I have apparently been very good at hiding things from _you_ ,” Ignis answered, lifting an eyebrow. He gestured out to the side. “As for everyone _else_ , not so much. There were countless rumors throughout the Citadel and I got a number of nasty looks.”

“For what?”

“One of the rumors suggested that we were together,” he said. “That I was using you to maintain my station and any power that came with it. After all, I had direct access to both the king and the crown prince.” Ignis scowled at the water. “I was less bothered by the words whispered about me than what was said about _you_.”

“Like what?”

Ignis frowned, like he didn’t want to answer. “Nasty things. Like how you shirked your duty to your future bride by inviting me into your bed. Worse still were the ones that suggested that it was _you_ who was misusing your power, forcing me to be with you so I could keep my job.” He turned back to Noct, looking him over for a sign of upset. Hesitantly he reached over to brush his fingers across the prince’s cheek. “Gladio and I shielded you from those rumors. Tabloids were forbidden from running stories about you, at least in terms of your romantic life.”

“What about the time that my ‘relationship’ with Prompto was front page news?” Noct asked, taking Ignis’s hand from his face and weaving their fingers together. He didn’t care much for Citadel rumors, especially not now. It was too late for that.

“Your father was in quite the rage,” Ignis smiled. “If you recall, that particular gossip magazine was shut down shortly after. That was not by accident.”

“Vultures,” Noct shook his head. “I kind of wish I’d heard about the rumors though,” he admitted. “I might’ve… I don’t know, payed attention to you. If _Gladio_ figured it out, how hidden could it have been?”

“Gladio is much more astute than you give him credit for,” Ignis grinned, running his thumb along the top of Noct’s hand. He was noticeably relaxing now, which was the goal.

“And you’ve got better taste than I gave you credit for,” Noct replied, scooting just a bit closer so that their thighs touched. “Alric was _hot_.”

The advisor hummed. “Indeed,” he agreed. “But I’ve always had an eye for someone… shorter?” He lifted an eyebrow, smirking.

“He was _way_ hotter than me! I showed a picture to Prompto and he said the same thing.” Trying for a bit more contact, Noct leaned against Ignis’s shoulder. “I asked Gladio if you guys were dating.”

“He didn’t know that you didn’t know,” Ignis told him, leaning back. A good sign. “I got quite a lecture for that.”

“Gladio? Lecturing _you_?”

“He accused me of using Alric. He… wasn’t entirely wrong, I’m ashamed to admit.” Ignis hung his head, looking down at their joined hands. “I did like him. He’d fallen in love with me and I’d convinced myself that, one day, I could love him in return. That he would be the man who helped me let go of my feelings for you.” He paused, looking up to smile at Noct. “It didn’t work.”

Noctis didn’t say anything. He tilted his head in invitation for Ignis to continue. A sad, guilty smile formed on his lips as he went on, “I felt very guilty for the way I treated him. We spoke a year later and I apologized. It wasn’t enough, I don’t think – I had wasted a year of his life. But Alric is a good man.” Ignis sighed, shaking his head at himself. “He forgave me, even if I didn’t deserve it. He was happier then – he found someone that was worthier of his love.”

“ _Did_ you love him?” Noct asked. Ignis had an air of fondness in his voice that stirred the jealousy from before.

“No,” Ignis sighed. “I cared for him, of course, but I didn’t love him.”

That pleased Noctis, even if he felt a tinge of sympathy for Alric. “He was still really hot,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. He was going to make this a better night before everything had to be put on hold tomorrow.

Ignis smirked, glancing at him. “And he was _excellent_ in bed.”

Oh. Ignis’s lowered tone of voice and sly look on his face made Noct feel a bit hotter. He laughed nervously, pulling Ignis’s hand closer to him. “So, you _were_ a stud,” recalling his question from the previous night.

“Not quite. I was in university, however, and I did have an occasional… entertainment.” He let out a short laugh at himself. “None quite so far as Alric, though.”

“What about the guy after Alric?”

“Before, actually,” Ignis corrected. “Alric was the second. And the last.”

“Then who was the first guy?”

“His name was Edward. We were together less than two months.” At Noct’s motion to continue, Ignis said, “I’d just realized that I had no interest in women and that I was a bit taken with the crown prince. Though at the time, I thought it a brief infatuation.”

“How old were you?”

“Freshly seventeen. He was a year older.”

“When did Gladio find out?”

Ignis adjusted his hand in Noct’s, his free hand absentmindedly moving to brush fingers against Noct’s wrist and over his forearm. Goosebumps lifted over the prince’s skin, but he didn’t interrupt now that Ignis seemed to have relaxed. “I’d confided my sexuality to him a few months prior. He never met Edward, but when things ended and he’d asked me why, I wouldn’t answer. I don’t know what exactly made him understand that I had feelings for you, but he confronted me about that after your birthday the same year.”

“Why didn’t things last as long with Edward?”

Ignis smiled, giving him a look. “He wasn’t falling in love with me, so he had much less patience for any flakiness that would arise when I chose to be with you rather than him,” he answered. “You’re asking a lot of questions.”

Noct shrugged. “This is all new information to me. You’ve never even hinted that you dated anyone.”

“I know.”

“You never really told me anything about your life outside of work.”

“You hardly ever asked.”

“Even when I did, though.”

Ignis dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Truthfully, Noct, you were the majority of my life outside of work.”

“How?”

Ignis chuckled, leaning over to press a kiss to his temple. Warmth spread across Noct’s face and he turned to look up at the other man. “Did you really think I was getting assigned to stay with you into all hours of the night watching movies or playing games?”

“I never really thought that much about it.”

“Good,” Ignis smiled, resting their foreheads together. “I never wanted you to feel like my job or merely part of my duties. It was always more than that for me.”

Noct found himself wishing he had something equally sweet to say back. Something like _it was always more to me too_ , but it hadn’t been. Ignis was his first friend, but as they aged the distance between them felt wider. Ignis was two years older, but had always had a personality that made him seem even older, significantly more mature. It wasn’t that Noctis had thought that he and Ignis only had a working relationship, it was that he’d never considered something more – more than work, more than friendship, just _more_. But now he had and it just made sense. He wanted to kick himself for not realizing sooner.

He tilted his head up, brushing their lips together. For a moment, most likely out of instinct, Ignis tensed. Then his head was dropping and pushing their mouths together, the older man’s tongue pressing into Noct’s mouth. He did, in fact, taste like wine.

Eventually, after a long time kissing as they were pushed through the water by the politely silent gondolier, the two of them went back into Altissia. They walked along the docks, stopping at different shops and commenting on things. Ignis would point at certain things and tell him that it was his gift to Noct, saying things like, “For our one-hour anniversary.” It was really cute, but the best part was that Ignis held tightly to his hand. They walked shoulder to shoulder, stopping finally for a sweet and another glass of wine for both.

“To us,” Ignis smiled, clinking their glasses together. “And our,” he glanced at the clock, “fifth-hour anniversary,” he finished, taking a drink.

“I’ll take a kiss for that one,” Noct replied.

“The cake is your gift,” Ignis smirked, nodding to the plate between them. He set aside his wine in favor for a fork. He scooped a bit onto it, holding it out for Noct to take. “Here,” he offered.

The prince narrowed his eyes, trying not to grin. “Then an early sixth-hour present,” he countered.

“I’m not sure we’ll make it to the sixth hour if you don’t accept my fifth-hour gift.”

Noctis waited a beat before closing his lips over the cake, pulling it from the fork. “You can’t break up with me,” he replied as he swallowed. “I’m _royalty_.”

“True,” Ignis nodded, smiling fondly, leaning forward to offer a kiss. Noct took the bait, Ignis stopping just short of his lips. “A royal pain in the ass.”

The prince blew a raspberry at him, pecking him on the lips, then leaned back to take his own fork. The night life of Altissia was coming alive. String instruments were being played in the streets and the city’s younger inhabitants were just starting the evening as more senior members began to turn in. The lighting turned dim and romantic, couples scattering across the docks and in restaurants without a care in the world.

“Presents, puns, and kissing,” Noct considered, taking a bite of the cake. “So that’s what it’s like to date you.”

“For you,” Ignis smiled, taking a drink. “Yes.”

“Just me?”

“You’re special.”

“You don’t have to butter me up anymore, Specs. I’m already kissing you.”

Ignis grinned, sinking his own fork into the cake. “I assure you, I mean every word,” he promised, taking the bite.

“What about your other boyfriends? What did they get?”

The advisor chewed slowly, squinting at him. He quirked his lips to the side, looking the prince over. “I believe we’ve talked sufficiently about my past love life. When do _I_ get to ask the questions?”

“I don’t have much to tell.”

“People must have desired you,” Ignis replied. “Were you never interested?”

“I mean…” Noct chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. He didn’t really want to talk about Luna because he was worried what it would do to Ignis’s mood. “For the most part, I just always thought I’d end up with Luna,” he said finally. “Everyone expected me to fall in love with her, and I guess I sort of expected myself to.”

“Just for the most part?” Ignis was still watching him. His mood didn’t seem to have fallen.

“Yeah.”

“What about the rest of it?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you only _mostly_ thought you would fall in love, what of the times you considered something else?”

“Oh,” Noct blinked and thought back. “I mean I made out with that girl I went to prom with.”

Ignis grinned and scooped another bite of cake. “Yes, I know,” he admitted. “You had quite the hickey when I picked you up that night.”

“You noticed that?”

“Of course I did,” Ignis scoffed, feigning offense. “And I was wildly jealous.”

Somehow, that made Noctis feel good. Ignis had been in two relationships and Noct was jealous that they’d gotten to spend so much time with Ignis when he’d only had one day. “I kissed Prompto once,” he commented, trying to be nonchalant.

Ignis blinked, setting his utensil down and abandoning the cake. “You did?”

“Yep,” Noct confirmed, cheekily taking a bite. “Thought I had a crush on him the first time we met. Only lasted like a month though.”

“A month?”

“Mm-hm.”

Ignis sat back, considering. He tentatively took a sip of wine, not looking at Noct. “And you changed your mind because…?”

Noct shrugged. “Because he just became my best friend.”

“So when you kissed?”

“I said that he couldn’t get me into bed even if he wanted to, and he took that as a challenge.” Ignis’s brow was creasing in a less cutely jealous way and Noct leaned forward, extending his hand across the table to put it on Ignis’s. “Specs, it didn’t mean anything.”

Ignis looked up and smiled momentarily at him. “It’s alright, Noct,” he replied, turning his hand over to hold Noct’s. “Just a bit of… leftover bitterness.” At Noct’s tilted head he clarified, “At the beginning of your friendship with Prompto, I felt – and it wasn’t your fault – a tad left behind.” He squeezed Noct’s hand. “When we were children, that was my place. Then I became your royal advisor and part of your Crownsguard, and it wasn’t just about our friendship anymore. Prompto did not have a political reason for his loyalty. You invited him into the Crownsguard and he accepted out of nothing more than dedication to his relationship with you.”

“Isn’t that why you accepted?”

“Of course—”

“Then that’s all that matters.” Noct picked up his fork and held it out for Ignis to eat the cake from. Ignis gave him a look and he just motioned with the fork. “You’ve always been around, Ignis.”

Ignis let out a laugh as he covered his mouth with his hand, chewing. “And yet _Prompto_ is the one you kissed first.”

“Because he was new!” Noct retorted, but could see Ignis’s mood begin to lift again. “You were – _are_ – Ignis.”

Ignis lifted an amused eyebrow at his explanation. “Speaking of Prompto and feelings,” he started. He picked up his wine glass, swirling the liquid as he decided how to continue. “Last night, you said Prompto knew how you felt.”

It was worded as an observation, though clearly Ignis wanted some form of clarification. “He does,” Noct replied, smiling as he ate the last bit of cake, extracting his hand from the other man’s. If Ignis wanted to _know_ , then he was going to have to _ask_.

“And when did you have that particular discussion?”

“Yesterday. And the day before.”

“And?”

“ _And_ … what?”

Ignis huffed at him. “ _And_ what did you discuss?”

“You.”

“What about me?”

Noct grinned at him and propped his chin on both his hands. “You’re so vain, Ignis.”

Ignis rolled his eyes. “And _you_ are insufferable.”

“And _you_ love me.”

The older man’s eyes softened and he smiled. “Yes. That I do.”

At that, Noct couldn’t help but lean forward, inviting Ignis in for another kiss.

When he pulled back Ignis lifted an eyebrow at him. “What _did_ you discuss with Prompto?”

Embarrassed, Noctis leaned away. “Well… he knows that we kissed.”

“I hope he was jealous,” Ignis muttered, drinking the last of his wine.

“He’s with Gladio.”

“Still,” Ignis shrugged with a smirk, motioning for him to continue.

Noct shook his head in amusement and looked away again. “Well he keeps saying that I have something for you.” The innuendo didn’t occur to him until Ignis was lifting his chin and grinning slowly. Noct’s eyes blew wide with embarrassment and he quickly tried to recover, “Not like _that_ – like—” Ignis started to laugh. “Shut _up_ , that wasn’t what I meant! This is Prompto’s fault. He leaves words out in weird places like ‘have it’ or ‘head over’.”

Ignis leaned back in his chair, crossing one of his legs over the other. “So, do you? Have something?”

Biting his lip, Noctis nodded. “Yeah, I do.” They’re gaze held for a moment then Ignis sighed and shook his head, looking away sadly. “What?”

“I just can’t help but realize how lucky and simultaneously _un_ lucky I am,” he responded. “Having today with you, Noct…” He offered his hand to the prince who took it slowly. “It’s meant the world to me. I just can’t imagine this happening at a worse time.” Ignis sighed again and put a hand under his glasses to wipe at his eyes. “Though I suppose it never would have been a _good_ time for this to happen.”

“Why not?”

“Insomnia is not as intolerant as it once was, Noct, but it is by no means ready for a king absent of a queen.” Ignis caught himself, frowning as he thought about what he’d said. “Not that I presume that you and I would have—” He stopped, embarrassed and Noctis couldn’t remember a time that Ignis had gotten so flustered, hand scratching at his neck as he avoided eye contact.

“Today,” Noct told him, scooting his chair closer. “We said we had today.”

Ignis’s lips curved down as he looked to the prince. “Just today.”

“Not necessarily.”

“Noct.”

“Let’s not do this. It’s our fifth-hour anniversary. That only comes around once, you know?”

Ignis took a deep breath, his hand moving out of Noct’s to settle on the side of his neck. “You are wonderful,” he told him.

“I know,” he smirked. “You ready to go?”

“Certainly. What do you have in mind?”

“Just a walk,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Ignis let him lead the way. The city was large and confusing, and he took a few wrong turns, but eventually he found the way to a small alcove, down some stairs, where there was privacy from most pedestrian eyes. The advisor lifted an eyebrow when Noct stopped, hand in hand, staring at a wall.

“What are we doing here?”

“Sight-seeing.”

“Ah yes. The famous alleyway _wall_ of Altissia. How could I not have recognized it?”

Feeling bold, alcohol lingering in his system enough to give him a pleasant warmth as desire thrummed through his veins, Noct turned to Ignis, snaking arms around his neck. To his credit, Ignis only raised his brow, hands moving to hold Noct’s waist. “No idea,” Noct replied airily, beginning to step backwards to the wall. “Some pretty memorable stuff happened at this wall.”

“Such as?”

A shrug. “Thought we could make something up,” he grinned as he pressed against the stone, cool against his back.

“Alright,” Ignis drawled, lifting his chin in consideration. “Well this must be the first wall ever built in the great city of Altissia. I believe it was Secretary Yen that chose to erect it, putting in the first brick himself, years and years ago.”

Noctis deadpanned, his face carefully void, hands falling to rest on Ignis’s chest. “Are you done?”

“Not quite,” Ignis held up a finger between them. “When invaders came into the city, this wall was the last thing standing. The first bricks were held in tact,” Ignis’ voice getting dramatic, raising a fist, “even as the rest of the city fell to the ill intentions of the invaders. Blood was spilt, but at the end of the battle, the Altissians were able to look to this very wall for hope that reminded them, they would not fall.” He ended in a dramatic pose, chin lifted to the ceiling, hands proudly on his hips.

“Now are you done?”

Ignis’s hands dropped to his sides and he grinned. “Is that not what you were looking for?”

“You’re drunk.”

“I have been drinking,” Ignis acknowledged, hands winding back around Noct’s waist. “But drunk? No.”

“Then you’re just a dork.”

“That I might be guilty of,” Ignis agreed, swaying their bodies a bit. “So why here, Noct?”

The prince pursed his lips. “Because it’s kind of private.”

“We’re still in the middle of the city.”

He hummed. “Yeah, but I thought if we came here instead of the room, you wouldn’t get freaked out that I was going to try to take all of your clothes off.”

Ignis blinked. His lips parted and his teasing smirk faded. “You’re…”

Noct shook his head, done talking. He slid his hands back up to Ignis’s neck, pulling him down for a kiss. The older man leaned against him, bracing one hand on the wall as the other held him by the waist. Ignis allowed himself to be kissed, opening his mouth for Noct’s tongue. They still tasted like wine and cake, a tantalizing combination that made Noctis eager. His arms wrapped tightly around Ignis’s shoulders, pulling both himself up and Ignis down.

Ignis seemed just as eager, the hand on the wall adjusting to Noct and gripping the side of his neck. It moved as they did, sliding into black hair as the kiss grew more open-mouthed and heavy. Noct gasped against Ignis’s lips as the hand on his waist, slipped to his lower back, fingers running up under the hem of Noct’s shirt. Ignis’s mouth moved away from Noct’s, spreading kisses down his jaw, teeth scraping over where the prince’s pulse was racing. Noctis leaned his head against Ignis’s temple when he dropped down further to mouth at his neck.

“I know what I want for our sixth hour,” Noct managed to say, one of his hands curling into Ignis’s hair.

Ignis huffed out a breath against his skin, pulling back and looking temptingly disheveled. “What’s that?” he murmured.

Noct’s lips parted, and he pressed himself up against the wall, guiding Ignis forward. Their chests were flush against the other’s, eyes lidded. Ignis’s hands were reestablished at Noct’s waist, while one of Noct’s was gripping him by the shoulders and the other still threaded through Ignis’s hair. “Ignis,” he whispered.

Ignis’s eyes darted between his own, unsure. He dipped his head, pressing their lips together solidly, unmoving, pressing Noct back against the stone. “It’s… getting late,” he said slowly, catching his breath.

It was probably past nine. The sun was long gone, but Noct wasn’t sure that _late_ was the right word. “Who needs sleep?” he asked quietly, unwilling to let Ignis move away from him.

“We’ve an early start tomorrow,” Ignis reasoned, though he stayed where he was.

Noctis raised his eyebrows. “Back to the hotel?”

Ignis nodded.

Arousal and desire pulsed through Noct’s veins. He dropped his arms from Ignis’s shoulders, instantly taking his hand. Using the docks as his guide, he found their way back. The streets seemed more crowded than previous nights, and there were several couples that were less ashamed of public display lining the outside walls of shops or snuggled together on piers. Pairs of men, pairs of women, men and women – even one group of two women and a man. Noct envied them.

Suddenly he was being wrenched back, Ignis pulling them to duck around a corner. “What’re you—”

“Prompto and Gladio are ahead,” Ignis told him, nodding forwards to their path to the hotel.

Prompto’s brow was furrowed and Gladio had his arms crossed over his chest. Noct wasn’t very good at lip reading, but Prompto smiled slowly, looking up at the shield who uncrossed his arms. Large arms draped around the blond’s shoulders and they were leaning in to kiss one another. Noct looked away, glancing at Ignis, who was frowning at them.

“Are you okay?”

Ignis blinked, his expression correcting to something more neutral. “I’m alright,” he assured, squeezing Noct’s hand that was still curled in his.

“Aren’t they supposed to be on a date?”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s over,” Ignis observed.

Gladio pulled away and leaned his forehead to Prompto’s. Even with his lack of expertise, Noct could see his lips form to the words _I love you_ , the blond smiling shyly before returning the sentiment. Apparently, they were further along in the relationship than Noct previously thought. Gladio was laughing, wrapping one arm over the shorter man’s shoulder as he led the way in the opposite direction. Prompto leaned into him, putting his hand in Gladio’s back pocket.

Ignis stared after them, the frown back on his lips. Noct looked at him expectantly, inclining his head, saying, “Back to the room?”

The advisor sucked the side of his cheek between his teeth, not looking back to Noctis. His eyes downcast, glaring at his shoes. “Noct, we can’t.”

A beat. “But sixth-hour anniversary.”

“I think the time for anniversaries has expired.”

The prince set his jaw, keeping Ignis’s hand in his. “Let’s go back. I don’t want to talk about this here.”

“Highness—”

“ _Don’t_.” Noctis glared at him, pulling him away from the building. Tonight was not getting ruined because something about seeing their friends had given Ignis cold feet. Nothing had to happen, clothes could stay on, but Noct would not have Ignis go back to formalities.

He only let Ignis drop his hand when they got back into the hotel. The advisor went up the steps first, letting them into their room. From the lack of sound next door, Gladio and Prompto hadn’t gotten back yet, which Noct considered a victory because everything had been fine until they’d spotted their two friends on the street.

“Why?” he asked, standing in the pathway next to the kitchenette. His arms crossed over his chest and he frowned at Ignis, who had stepped further into the room, standing at the end of the closest bed.

The older man didn’t turn around to look at him. “Noct, this has been…” He trailed off, and his hands went up to his face, removing his spectacles. “I’m at the end of my self-control,” he admitted finally.

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“ _Yes_ , Noct. I told you there would never have been a good time for this.”

Noctis frowned at Ignis’s back, marching himself forward to put a hand on his shoulder, turning him so they faced each other. “What made you go back to this?”

Ignis sighed. “I’ve let myself get caught up in this – in you.” He looked vulnerable without his glasses. Tired, at a loss. “We can’t have that,” he gestured behind him towards the sliding glass doors.

“You don’t know—”

“While you slept this morning, I thought of a thousand different ways that I could have told you back in Insomnia,” Ignis interrupted him. “And not one of those scenarios could have ended with some sort of happily ever after, Noct. I can’t be that for you.”

“So, you’re just going to watch me ride off into the sunset with someone else, then? Is that what you want?”

Ignis frowned at him. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Noct. What I want matters very little in the big picture.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

The advisor let out an impatient breath. “No,” he said sharply. “No, that is not what I want.”

“Good. Because that isn’t what I want either.” Noct stepped into Ignis’s space. Ignis tensed, but didn’t step away.

“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?” Ignis asked, his voice resigned.

“I will,” Noct countered. “If you tell me that you want me to.”

“Noct, we _can’t_ —”

“I’m not saying we have to have sex, Ignis,” Noct interrupted, tentatively wrapping his arms around Ignis’s waist. “I want to be with you. I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”

“Neither do I.”

The kiss that followed was slow, closed mouthed. Ignis’s hands held onto the arms that were wrapped around him. “Stop pulling away from me,” Noct murmured. “I’m not ready for this to end.”

“Old habits,” Ignis tried to joke, but it fell flat.

The early morning was catching up with Noct now that they were back in the hotel, the blankets looking warm and comfortable after a long day. They separated, slowly getting ready for bed and stealing glances at each other. Noctis was ready first, slipping under the sheets on half the bed. Ignis paused as he turned to the bed, as if he was waiting for an invitation. Noct lifted a hand to him, and Ignis joined him, turning on his side so they faced one another.

Ignis brushed Noct’s bangs from his eyes, ghosting fingers across his cheek. “The instant the evacuation is over, I will be back by your side.”

Noctis smiled and took Ignis’s hand. “I’m the one that has to prove myself to Leviathan. You can’t do everything for me, Specs.”

A brief laugh. “You don’t think a starry-eyed speech about how wonderful I think you are would work, do you?”

“Probably not on her,” Noct said. “Would probably work on me, though.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Their banter seemed less flirtatious now that it was tinged with sadness. “I don’t want this to be over tomorrow either,” he admitted finally, their eyes locking.

Ignis looked him over sadly, adjusting the grip of their hands to bring Noct’s forward. He pressed a kiss to the inside of Noct’s palm, then settled his hand on Noct’s cheek. “Why don’t we talk about it in the morning?” he offered.

“Ignis, I…” Noct faltered. Ignis would say it was too soon, that there was no possible way he could know. But this was the feeling that he’d always thought would happen for him and Luna. It was the feeling everyone, including himself, had expected to evolve for her over time. “Ignis, I lo—”

Before he could get the words out, Ignis was pulling him forward, sweeping him away with another kiss. Fast, leaving him breathless, he moaned briefly into Ignis’s mouth. Ignis was pulling him forward, hand on the back of his head so he couldn’t pull away, not that he wanted to. Noct fisted a hand in Ignis’s shirt, the wind feeling like it was knocked from his chest as the advisor pulled back.

He held both sides of Noct’s face, breaths synching with Noct’s as they leaned their foreheads together. “Don’t, Noct,” he pleaded. “Don’t say it.”

Confused, Noct’s forehead creased. “Why? Don’t you…” He dropped off the sentence as he continued to catch his breath.

“More than anything,” Ignis confirmed. “But I can’t hear it.”

“I know how I feel, Ignis.”

“A discussion for a later date, Noct. Please.”

He pursed his lips then begrudgingly agreed. Fatigue was making his eyes heavy and he slid forward, tucking his head under Ignis’s chin. “It’s a good thing I’m too tired to argue with you anymore,” he muttered.

Ignis chuckled, holding him close. “Lucky me,” he agreed.

“Do you know how hard I’ve worked to keep you from running away from me all day?” Noct scolded him, already half asleep.

“Yes, you’re so disciplined.” A kiss was placed on his forehead. “I love you, Noct. We’ll talk more in the morning, I promise.”

Noct nodded, leaning up to kiss Ignis’s jaw, nudging him with his nose to get the advisor to look down to kiss him properly.

\- - -

Noctis woke to a much ruder scene than what he’d been left with the night prior. Prompto was shaking him awake, saying, “Buddy! Wake _up_ dude, we gotta go!”

He blinked, his eyes cloudy with sleep. His arm stretched out next to him. “Ignis?” he asked tiredly.

“Him and Gladio had to leave early. Somehow, _I_ got assigned wake up duty,” Prompto told him. “My assignment is closest to you, so I’m dropping you off. Get your clothes on and let’s get shakin’.” He pat the prince on the cheek a few times. “I’ll be back in five, so don’t go back to sleep.”

Noct frowned as he sat up, wiping sleep from his eyes as Prompto left the room. His clothes were laid out on Ignis’s unslept bed, a note left on top of the shirt. He stretched as he stood up, swiping the note from its spot and unfolding it.

 _Sorry to leave so early. Once the battle is won, we’ll talk._  
I’ll be by your side as quickly as I can. Stay safe, love.  
See you soon, Ignis

Noct sighed, staring at the word _love_. A knock on the door made him start, Prompto’s muffled voice coming through, “Three minutes, Noct!”

Huffing, the prince dressed, shoving Ignis’s note in his back pocket. He flung the door open, his friend poised to reenter. “Nice,” Prompto said appreciatively, spinning to lead the way down the hallway. “You ready for this?”

“Better be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE shout out to my beta reader, neboou, who helped me get out of my funk and realize what was missing from this chapter! You’re the best beta reader I could ask for. Thank you for your honesty, opinions, and help throughout this entire fic!
> 
> That's all folks! We've got a big day tomorrow with Episode Ignis being released. The plan for this fic was always to end before the rite, then, once Episode Ignis was released, continue with the aftermath of what happened to him. So expect to see a sequel. It's currently unplanned because, obviously, the episode has to come out, I have to play it, cry about it for days, and then I'll be getting started on part two.
> 
> In addition, there is also a one-off fic about Ignis's relationship with Alric on the way. And another addition will be getting to see Prompto and Gladio's date once they leave Maagho's from Prompto's POV. There's more than that as well, but we'll just have to wait until Episode Ignis.
> 
> I hope everyone has enjoyed! Everyone's comments both here and on tumblr have been so lovely and I appreciate the feedback. Thank you all for your patience with me as I slowly churned this story out! I hope you liked the final chapter and I hope to see you at the sequel!

**Author's Note:**

> [inspiration track ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWlKZ6C7cDY)  
> [talk to me on tumblr! ](spacs.tumblr.com)  
>  Thank you for reading!


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